MC-NRLF 


*• 

OF 


.L1ANCE  LIBRARY,  No.  19 


10 


LURAH A  W.SHELDON 


STREET  &  SMITH,  PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


.  .- 


•- .    .  • 


RETAIL  PRICE,  1O  CENTS. 


it    STERLING  line  of  religious  stories,  written  for  the 

£\^    greater  part  by  the  most  eminent  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

Teaches  and  illustrates  the  principles  of  true,  undenom 

inational  Christianity  as  applied  to  the  demands  and  needs  of 

every  day  life  in  modern  times. 

Not  a  series  of  books  for  children, 

BUT  A  COLLECTION  OF  WORKS 

Written  for  thinking  men  and  women. 


By 


U.-nJohn  Ploughman's  Talk.    By  Rev.  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 

13.— Pilgrim's  Progress.    By  John  Bunyan. 

18.— The  Master's  Mission;  or,  The  Minister  Who  Dared. 

Rev.  W.  C.  Stiles. 
11.— The  First  Christian   Daily  Paper,   and   Other  Sketches. 

By  Rev.  Chas.  M.  Sheldon. 

10.— Marvelous  in  Our  Eyes.     By  Emma  E.  Hornibrook. 
9— What  is  Christ  to  Me?  and  Other  Sermons.     By  the  late 

Rev.  D wight  L.  Moody. 
8— Would  Christ  Belong  to  a  Labor  Union?  By  Rev.  Cortland 

Myers,  Pastor  of  the  Brooklyn  Baptist  Temple. 
7— The  Story  of  Queen  Esther.     By  E.  Leuty  Collins. 
6-— Allan  Eyre.     By  Rev.  Silas  K.  Hocking. 
6— Brothers  All.    By  Mrs   H.  A.  Cheever. 
4— Crumbs  Swept  Up     By  Rev.  T.  De  Witt  Talmage. 
3— The  Crucifixion  of  Philip  Strong.   By  Rev.  Chas.  M.  Sheldon. 
2— Robert  Hardy's  Seven  Days.     By  Rev.  Chas.  M.  Sheldon. 
1— In  His  Steps:  What  Would  Jesus  Do?    By  Rev.  Chas.  M. 
Sheldon. 


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To  the  Reader 


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Q25 


FOR  GOLD  OR  SOUL? 


The  Story  of  a  Great  Department 
Store 


BY 

LURANA  W.   SHELDON 


NEW  YORK 
STREET  &  SMITH,   PUBLISHERS 

238   WILLIAM  STREET 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1900 

By  STREET  &  SMITH 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


FOR  GOLD  OR  SOUL 


CHAPTER  I. 
IN  THE  SUPERINTENDENT'S  OFFICE. 

The  monster  department  store  of  Messrs.  Denton,  Day 
&  Co.  was  thronged  with  shoppers,  although  the  morning 
was  still  young. 

Scores  of  pale-faced  women  and  narrow-chested  men 
stood  behind  the  counters,  while  "cash  girls,"  with  waxen 
cheeks  and  scrawny  figures,  darted  here  and  there  on  their 
ceaseless  errands.  On  the  fifth  floor  of  the  building, 
where  the  firm's  offices  were  quartered,  a  score  or  more 
of  anxious  girls  and  women  waited  eagerly  for  an  oppor 
tunity  to  enter  their  applications  for  service. 

At  last  a  private  door  was  opened  by  an  elfish-looking 
boy,  and  the  earliest  applicant  was  allowed  to  enter,  the 
boy  warning  her,  as  she  did  so,  to  "be  quick  about  it." 

"So  you  are  looking  for  work?  Well,  what  can  you 
do  ?  Got  any  references  ?  Talk  fast,  for  I  have  no  time 
to  waste  on  applicants." 

The  speaker  was  Mr.  Duncan  Forbes,  junior  partner, 
as  well  as  business  superintendent  of  the  establishment, 
and  the  person  spoken  to  was  a  beautiful  girl,  about  sev 
enteen  years  of  age,  who  had  called  to  apply  for  a  position 
as  saleswoman. 

"I  have  never  worked  before,  sir,"  said  the  young  girl, 
trying  to  obey  and  talk  as  rapidly  as  possible,  "but  I  am 
sure  I  could  learn  in  a  very  short  time,  if  only  you  will 
give  me  a  trial  as  saleswoman.  Do  please  give  me  a 

trial!"  M636328 


8  In  the  Superintendent's  Office. 

-  Mr.  Forbes  stared  at  her  curiously  for  half  a  minute. 
He  saw  that  there  was  a  spirit  in  her  that  would  make 
her  valuable  in  business. 

In  an  instant  his  manner  changed  to  a  studied  indiffer 
ence.  He  rubbed  his  hands  together  gently,  toying  with 
a  fine  ring  upon  his  finger. 

"But  1  shall  discharge  Miss  Jennings  any  way,  so  if 
you  do  not  accept  the  position  I  will  give  it  to  some  one 
else,"  he  said.  "You  can  take  it  or  leave  it.  Decide 
quick ;  which  is  it  ?" 

For  the  space  of  a  second  the  applicant  wavered,  but 
in  that  second  she  read  something  in  Mr.  Watkins'  ex 
pression.  His  look  was  unmistakable.  He  was  waiting 
to  see  if  she  faltered  in  her  decision. 

She  raised  her  head  and  looked  Mr.  Forbes  squarely  in 
the  eyes. 

"I  'thank  you,  sir,  for  your  offer,"  she  said,  as  calmly 
as  she  could,  "but  I  would  rather  die  than  do  anything  I 
considered  wrong,  and  this  act  of  yours  is  both  wicked 
and  unjust!  God  will  punish  you  for  your  cruelty  to 
that  poor  Miss  Jennings!" 

She  turned  and  walked  toward  the  door,  leaving  Mr. 
Forbes  and  Mr.  Watkins  both  staring  after  her. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A      HUMBLE      BEGINNING. 

It  was  the  second  time  that  the  young  girl  had  suc 
ceeded  in  startling  the  superintendent,  but  this  time  she 
had  accomplished  far  more  than  she  knew,  for  her  few 
words  fell  upon  the  brain  of  the  business  man  with  a 
significance  that  for  a  moment  almost  overcame  him. 
Under  favorable  conditions  far  less  thrilling  words  than 
these  have  taken  root  and  yielded  a  bountiful  harvest,  but 
the  time  for  this  man's  awakening  was  at  hand.  His  only 
son,  a  youth  of  nineteen,  was  lying  critically  ill  at  home, 
and,  while  Mr.  Forbes  was  worldly,  he  was  also  unusu 
ally  superstitious,  and  her  words,  "God  will  punish  you," 
rang  in  his  ears  like  a  blast  from  a  trumpet. 

Almost  involuntarily  he  took  a  step  forward.  He  could 
not  explain  so  unusual  an  action. 

''Wait!"  he  said,  peremptorily. 

The  young  girl  paused,  with  her  hand  on  the  door. 

"I  am  not  so  cruel  as  you  think,  miss,"  he  said,  trying 
to  speak  as  sternly  as  ever,  "so  your  speech  just  now 
was  entirely  uncalled  for.  If  you  are  really  in  desperate 
need  of  work,  I  can  give  you  a  position  as  packer  at  three 
dollars  a  week.  This  is  the  best  I  can  offer.  Do  you 
care  to  accept  it?" 

"I  will  take  any  position  where  I  am  not  defrauding 
any  one  else,  sir,"  the  girl  answered,  quickly.  "But  I 
could  not  accept  what  belongs  to  another.  I  think  that 
money  so  earned  would  prove  a  curse  instead  of  a  bless 
ing." 

The  superintendent  stared  at  her  with  a  puzzled  look. 

"What  is  your  name?"  he  asked,  after  this  second 
scrutiny  of  her  features. 

"Faith  Marvin,  Sir,"  replied  the  applicant,  promptly. 

Mr.  Forbes  repeated  the  name  a  little  absently. 

Miss  Marvin  watched  him  eagerly.  Her  face  had 
flushed  a  little. 


lo  A  Humble  Beginning, 

"I've  heard  that  name  somewhere,  but  I  can't  think 
where,"  remarked  Mr.  Forbes,  with  a  glance  toward  Mr. 
Watkins,  "but  it  don't  matrer  about  the  name.  Come 
to-morrow  morning  at  seven-thirty,  sharp,  and  I'll  set 
you  to  work.  Well,  what  is  it,  Jackson?" 

Another  employee  had  entered  hurriedly. 

As  he  stood  directly  in  her  way,  Miss  Marvin  could 
not  leave  the  office  at  once,  so  she  was  forced  to  hear 
the  conversation  that  followed. 

"There's  one  of  them  Government  Inspectors  on  the 
first  floor,  sir,"  reported  the  newcomer,  "and  she's  a 
sharp  one,  I  can  tell  you !  Mr.  Gibson  wants  to  know  if 
you'll  come  down  and  see  her.  It's  the  lavatories,  sir; 
she's  determined  to  see  'em." 

The  change  that  came  over  the  superintendent's  face  at 
this  announcement  was  astonishing.  His  naturally  florid 
features  grew  as  red  as  a  blaze,  and  he  actually  increased 
in  size  as  he  swelled  with  indignation. 

"Another  of  those  prying,  inquisitive  people,  hey !"  he 
cried  furiously.  "Another  spy  to  look  over  the  store 
and  report  to  the  Board  of  Health  that  our  plumbing  is 
out  of  order!  Tell  Mr.  Gibson  I'll  come  down  at  once, 
and  see  here,  Jackson,  tell  him  to  keep  her  on  the  first 
floor.  I'll  send  the  porter  to  the  basement  to  open  the 
windows.  They  shall  not  get  ahead  of  me,  the  impudent 
creatures.  The  firm  of  Denton,  Day  &  Co.  is  not  going 
to  waste  money  on  new-fangled  sanitary  improvements 
just  to  please  a  lot  of  cranks  with  sensitive  noses!" 

Mr.  Jackson  hurried  away  at  once  to  report  to  the 
manager,  Mr.  Gibson,  leaving  his  employer  still  fuming 
and  growing  angrier  every  minute. 

He  was  so  terrible  in  his  anger  that  Miss  Marvin  was 
glad  when  she  was  able  to  slip  through  the  door  at  last 
and  pick  her  way  through  the -group  of  applicants,  wh'» 
were  still  patiently  waiting. 

Mr.  Forbes  took  no  notice  of  her  departure,  as  he  was 
pushing  back  the  papers  on  his  desk,  preparatory  to  clos 
ing  it. 

Suddenly  he  uttered  an  exclamation  that  made  Mr. 
Watkins  jump.  He  had  been  looking  over  a  file  of  let 
ters,  but  turned  quickly  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 


A  Humble  Beginning.  n 

"Quick,  Watkins,  stop  her!  Stop  her!"  cried  the  su 
perintendent,  sharply.  "There  were  five  hundred  dol 
lars  on  my  desk  ten  minutes  ago!  It's  gone,  every  cent 
of  it.  Quick,  I  tell  you.  Stop  her !" 

"Stop  who?" 

Mr.  Watkins  was  over  to  the  door  before  he  asked  the 
question. 

"Faith  Marvin,  that  girl  that  was  looking  for  a  job. 
The  money  was  on  the  desk  while  she  was  here  in  the 
office.  She's  stolen  it  and  gone,  and  to  think,  I  offered 
her  a  position !" 

Mr.  Forbes  ran  his  hands  through  his  hair  and  glared 
at  Mr.  Watkins. 

"Well,  why  don't  you  go?"  he  thundered,  as  the  young 
man  stood  stock  still,  staring  at  him  like  a  dummy. 

Mr.  Watkins  hurried  from  the  office  on  his  disagree 
able  errand.  He  would  have  staked  his  all  that  the  girl 
had  not  touched  the  money. 

Mr.  Forbes  made  a  hurried  search  through  his  desk 
while  the  young  man  was  gone.  He  was  so  upset  about 
his  loss  that  he  had  forgotten  the  Government  Inspector 
completely. 

The  five  hundred  dollars  was  not  to  be  found  and  Mr. 
Forbes  was  allowing  his  temper  full  vent — through  the 
usual  medium  of  blasphemous  profanity. 

He  was  so  positive  that  the  girl  would  be  caught  at 
once  that  he  almost  gasped  when  Mr.  Watkins  came 
back  without  her. 

"She's  gone,  sir,"  said  the  young  man,  shortly.  "The 
detective  here  saw  her  go  out.  She  went  down  the  ele 
vator  and  out  the  side  entrance.  Bob's  dscription  of  her 
is  all  right.  I  am  sure  it  was  Miss  Marvin," 

Bob  Hardy,  a  store  detective,  came  in  while  Mr.  Wat- 
kins  was  speaking. 

"I'm  right,  sir ;  couldn't  be  mistaken.  She  was  out 
like  an  arrow,"  he  said,  respectfully. 

"And  to  think  that  I  was  stupid  enough  not  to  take 
her  address,  but  probably  she  would  have  lied  about  it. 
Those  creatures  are  always  tricky/'  snarled  the  superin 
tendent. 

The  detective  took  a  step  forward  and  removed  his  hat. 


12  A  Humble  Beginning. 

.  "There'll  be  no  trouble  in  finding  her,  sir,"  he  said;  "I 
know  who  she  is.  I've  seen  her  a  dozen  times  Before,  and 
I'm  not  apt  to  be  mistaken." 

The  superintendent  looked  at  him  questioningly,  so  the 
officer  went  on : 

"She's  the  daughter  of  Douglass  Marvin,  who  used  to 
keep  a  bookstore  in  this  block.  Denton,  Day  &  Co.  put 
him  out  of  business  when  they  opened  their  book  depart 
ment.  He  committed  suicide  soon  after  he  failed.  He 
left  a  wife  and  this  daughter,  and  not  a  penny." 

"Then  the  deed  was  deliberate!"  cried  Mr.  Forbes,  al 
most  choking  with  anger.  "The  girl  is  trying  to  square 
accounts  for  what  we  did  to  her  father!" 

"Nonsense !" 

Mr.  Watkins  uttered  the  word  with  extraordinary  dar 
ing. 

"She  came  here  to  look  for  a  job,  and  you  have  offered 
her  one,  Mr.  Forbes !  Mark  my  words,  she'll  be  on  hand 
to-morrow  morning  at  half -past  seven !" 

"And  the  money?" 

The  superintendent  turned  upon  the  speaker  with  a 
perfect  thundercloud  darkening  his  face. 

"Perhaps,  as  you  know  so  much,  Watkins,  you  can  ex 
plain  about  the  money!" 

Before  any  one  could  answer  the  door  opened  and  Mr. 
Jackson  came  in  again. 

"Please,  Mr.  Forbes,  the  manager  says  come  80 wn 
quick,  sir!"  he  cried,  with  a  grin.  "He  can't  keep  that 
Government  woman  out  of  the  basement  much  longer." 


CHAPTER  III. 

A      GLIMPSE      OF      THE      DARKNESS. 

When  Faith  Marvin  reached  the  employees'  entrance  of 
Denton,  Day  &  Co.'s  department  store  the  next  morning 
at  half-past  seven,  she  was  shown  into  a  room  that  was 
a  sort  of  cloak-room,  lunch-room  and  lavatory  combined, 
in  the  basement  of  the  building. 

The  place  was  poorly  lighted  and  badly  ventilated,  and 
there  were  fully  two  hundred  women  and  girls  crowding 
and  jostling  each  other  while  they  hung  up  their  wraps 
and  put  on  false  sleeves  and  black  aprons. 

For  a  while  the  din  was  confusing,  but  Faith  soon  be 
gan  to  see  and  hear  distinctly. 

She  was  amazed  and  then  horrified  at  the  snatches  of 
conversation  she  heard.  Even  a  little  cash  girl  used  lan 
guage  that  was  almost  profanity,  and  others  made  re 
marks  of  a  most  heartless  nature. 

Here  and  there  Faith  saw  a  face  that  looked  different 
from  the  rest.  They  were  mostly  pale,  pinched  faces, 
bearing  deep  lines  of  care,  but  they  all  looked  stolid, 
hardened  and  indifferent. 

"I  suppose  it's  the  hard  work  and  worry,"  whispered 
Faith,  involuntarily.  Just  then  she  felt  some  one  tapping 
her  smartly  on  the  shoulder. 

She  turned  quickly  and  confronted  a  woman  about  her 
own  height,  who  had  the  sharpest  pair  of  eyes  that  Faith 
ever  remembered  seeing. 

"Is  this  Faith  Marvin?" 

The  woman  spoke  softly,  but  her  voice  was  cold  and 
metallic. 

"It  is,"  answered  Faith.  "I  was  told  to  come  this 
morning.  Can  you  give  me  any  information  as  to  where  I 
am  to  go  ?  I  see  the  others  are  all  hurrying  upstairs,  but 
there  is  no  one  to  direct  me." 

The  woman  had  not  taken  her  eyes  from  Faith's  face 


14  A  Glimpse  of  the  Darkness. 

while  the  young  girl  was  talking.  She  seemed  to  be  scan 
ning  her  features  with  more  than  ordinary  curiosity. 

''Where  do  you  live?" 

The  question  was  asked  by  the  woman  in  a  business 
like  manner,  but  as  Faith  hesitated  before  answering  the 
sharp  eyes  twinkled  a  little. 

"Am  I  obliged  to  give  my  address?"  asked  Faith  very 
slowly. 

''Certainly — it's  the  rule  of  the  house." 

The  woman  frowned  as  she  answered. 

Faith  gave  her  address  in  a  faltering  voice,  She  had 
hoped  to  be  able  to  keep  that  a  secret. 

The  woman  wrote  down  the  address  on  a  piece  of 
paper. 

"A  mother  and  father?"  was  the  next  brief  question. 

Faith's  face  was  scarlet  now,  but  she  answered 
promptly. 

"A  mother,  yes ;  but  my  father  is  dead.  He  was  Doug 
lass  Marvin.  He  owned  a  bookstore  in  this  block.  When 
Denton,  Day  &  Co.  opened  their  book  department  my 
father  was  ruined." 

The  woman  looked  at  her  enviously  as  she  asked  the 
next  question. 

"How  did  you  happen  to  come  to  this  store  to  look  for 
work?  Don't  you  resent  the  injury  that  was  done  to  your 
father?" 

In  a  second  Faith  Marvin's  eyes  filled  with  tears. 

"Oh,  no !"  she  cried  hastily.  "I  bear  no  resentment !  I 
know  it  is  always  the  weak  who  must  suffer !  I  came  here 
because  I  was  desperately  in  need  of  work.  My  mother's 
health  is  failing  and  we  are  penniless." 

"Well,  it's  lucky  you're  so  forgiving,"  said  the  woman 
with  a  peculiar  stare ;  "but  come,  you  must  report  to  Miss 
Fairbanks,  the  buyer  in  the  ribbon  department!  She's 
on  the  first  floor.  I'll  take  you  to  her." 

Miss  Fairbanks  looked  Faith  over  almost  as  sharply  as 
the  other  woman  had  done. 

She  was  short-handed  that  morning,  so  there  was  no 
time  for  preliminaries. 

"Ever  work  in  a  store  before?"  was  her  first  business 
like  question. 


A  Glimpse  of  the  Darkness.  15 

"No,  madam,"  said  Faith  timidly;  "I  have  had  no  ex 
perience  at  all,  but  I  am  sure  I  shall  learn  quickly  if  you 
will  be  so  kind  as  to  teach  me." 

She  was  beginning  to  tremble  a  little  for  fear  the 
woman  would  not  try  her. 

"Oh,  I  guess  you'll  do  if  you  are  not  too  stuck  up," 
said  the  buyer  carelessly.  "Girls  who  have  never  worked 
in  a  store  always  think  they  know  it  all,  and  that  sort  of 
thing  doesn't  go,  not  in  my  department !" 

She  led  Faith  up  to  one  of  the  gates  at  the  ribbon  coun 
ter  and  showed  her  how  to  crawl  up  to  the  packer's  desk 
above  the  shelves,  where  the  stock  was  kept. 

"Now,  when  one  of  the  saleswomen  hands  you  up  a 
check  and  some  ribbon  you  must  measure  the  ribbon  care 
fully  to  see  that  the  firm  is  not  being  cheated,"  she  ex 
plained  in  a  shrill  voice,  "and  if  one  of  the  girls  makes  a 
mistake  report  it  to  me  immediately." 

Faith  was  up  by  this  time  and  trying  to  accommodate 
herself  to  the  awkward  position,  while  she  listened  in 
tently  to  all  the  buyer's  instructions. 

The  packer's  desk  was  so  low  that  it  cramped  her  limbs 
even  in  sitting,  and  Faith  soon  saw  that  she  was  older  and 
larger  than  any  other  girl  in  that  position  on  the  floor. 

This  fact  alone  made  her  feel  awkward  and  uncomfort 
able,  and  when  she  saw  one  of  the  clerks  looking  up  at 
her  and  tittering  she  blushed  and  nearly  cried  through 
sheer  embarrassment.  To  add  to  her  nervousness  she 
soon  noticed  that  two  men,  who  were  standing  in  one  of 
the  aisles,  were  watching  her  every  movement  for  some 
reason  or  other.  She  was  thankful  \vhen  the  checks  and 
goods  began  to  come  up.  It  was  a  relief  to  keep  her  eyes 
on  the  different  packages. 

Faith  had  never  had  much  experience  in  doing  up  par 
cels,  but  she  managed  very  nicely  after  her  hands  stopped 
trembling. 

Long  before  noon  she  was  aching  in  every  muscle. 
The  dust  that  rose  from  the  floor  was  irritating  her  throat 
and  the  store  was  so  hot  that  her  head  was  aching. 

She  looked  down  at  the  clerks,  who*  had  been  on  their 
feet  steadily  since  eight  o'clock,  and  began  to  understand 
the  callousness  of  their  expressions.  A  great  throb  of  pity 


16  A  Glimpse  of  the  Darkness. 

for  them,  rather  than  for  herself,  dimmed  her  eyes  for  an 
instant  so  that  she  could  not  see  her  packages. 

During  that  first  few  hours  Faith  could  not  help  notic 
ing  how  often  Number  89  sent  up  goods  to  be  wrapped. 
There  were  double  as  many  sales  to  her  credit  as  to  any 
of  the  others  at  the  counter,  and  at  a  leisure  moment  she 
leaned  over  and  looked  down  at  her. 

Just  as  she  did  so  Number  89  was  seized  with  a  fit  of 
coughing.  It  was  over  in  a  minute,  but  was  extremely 
severe  while  it  lasted. 

In  spite  of  herself  Faith  could  not  resist  glancing  at  her 
often,  and  once  when  she  caught  her  eye  she  smiled  at  her 
pleasantly. 

The  effect  was  magical. 

Number  89  soon  handed  up  a  check  and  three  yards  of 
ribbon,  and  as  their  hands  met  over  the  goods  she  caught 
and  squeezed  the  "packer's"  little  finger. 

"I'm  sorry  you  have  such  a  cough !" 

Faith  whispered  the  words  quickly. 

Number  89  was  about  to  reply  when  Miss  Fairbanks, 
the  buyer,  passed  the  counter. 

"No  loitering,  Miss  Jennings !  Don't  you  see  there  are 
customers  waiting?  Forward^  at  once !  And  you,  packer, 
attend  to  business !  I  see  you  have  goods  in  your  hands. 
Wrap  them  up  this  minute !" 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SOME    UNPLEASANT    INFORMATION. 

Faith's  face  turned  scarlet,  but  she  obeyed  at  once.  The 
next  instant  the  buyer  was  forgotten.  She  was  thinking 
of  Miss  Jennings. 

So  the  superintendent  had  not  carried  out  his  threat 
after  all.  He  could  not  have  forgotten  it,  his  anger  had 
been  too  genuine. 

Faith  was  thankful  enough  that  the  poor  girl  was  still 
at  work,  although  she  looked  sick  enough  to  be  in  bed  in 
the  care  of  a  doctor. 

As  Faith  looked  at  her  she  could  see  plainly  the  stamp 
of  death  upon  her  brow.  Her  cheeks  were  bloodless  and 
her  eyes  were  sunken. 

After  eleven  o'clock  the  girls  took  turns  in  going  to 
their  luncheons.  Some  repaired  to  the  basement  lunch 
room,  v.hile  others  who  could  afford  it  patronized  the 
nearby  restaurants. 

It  was  a  pleasant  surprise  to  Faith  when  Miss  Jennings 
joined  her  in  the  lunch  room.  She  had  a  paper  bag  in  her 
hand,  while  Faith  carried  a  small  basket. 

Almost  instinctively  the  two  girls  drew  away  from  the 
others.  There  was  a  bond  of  sympathy  between  them  that 
they  could  not  account  for. 

"Do  tell  me  your  name/'  whispered  Miss  Jennings  at 
once.  "It  does  sound  so  'shoppy'  to  be  always  saying 
'packer.'  " 

She  had  opened  her  bag  and  taken  out  a  cracker.  It 
was  evident  that  there  was  no  time  to  be  wasted  in  lunch 
ing.^ 

"Call  me  Faith,  if  you.  will.  I  should  like  to  have  you 
so  much  !  I  think  it  will  make  me  feel  a  little  less  strange," 
was  the  impulsive  answer. 

"I  will  if  you'll  call  me  Mary,"  replied  Miss  Jennings. 
"I've  just  been  longing  to  talk  to  you  all  the  morning,  but 


i8  Some  Unpleasant  Information. 

there's  no  dodging  Miss  Fairbanks'  eye;  it's  always  upon 
you." 

"Are  we  not  supposed  to  speak  at  all?"  asked  Faith, 
who  was  forgetting  to  eat  her  luncheon. 

"Oh,  yes,  we  can  speak,  but  not  if  there  are  customers 
waiting.  But,  tell  me,  how  do  you  happen  to  be  a  packer? 
You  are  too  old  for  that  kind  of  work,  and  quite  too 
clever,  I'm  sure,"  said  Miss  Jennings  kindly. 

Faith  told  her  how  difficult  it  had  been  to  get  any  posi 
tion  at  all,  but  she  did  not  dream  of  telling  her  how  closely 
her  name  and  work  had  been  connected  with  the  matter. 

When  she  spoke  of  Mr.  Forbes,  Miss  Jennings  fairly 
shuddered. 

''He's  a  terrible  brute,"  she  said  in  a  nervous  whisper. 
"And  what  do  you  think,  Faith ;  he's  a  Sunday-school 
teacher !" 

"Oh,  no,  it  can't  be !" 

Faith  caught  her  breath  with  a  shiver. 

"I  mean,  it  doesn't  seem  possible,"  she  added  after  a 
minute. 

"Yes,  he  is,"  reiterated  Miss  Jennings  soberly. 

"I  used  to  go  to  the  same  church.  Now  I  don't  go  to 
any — I  have  no  use  for  religion!" 

She  started  coughing,  and  this  gave  Faith  an  oppor 
tunity  to  recover  from  the  shock.  When  the  spasm  was 
over  "she  put  her  arms  affectionately  over  Miss  Jennings' 
shoulder. 

"What  has  turned  you  against  religion,  dear?"  she 
asked  very  softly.  "Is  it  such  men  as  Mr.  Forbes,  or  just 
the  bitterness  from  misfortune?" 

"P>oth."  said  Miss  Jennings  stubbornly  and  with  a  little 
frown  on  her  face. 

"If  God  is  good,  why  is  there  so  much  misery?  If  He 
is  just,  why  are  we  subjected  to  such  terrible  oppression, 
and  if  He  is  merciful,  why  doesn't  He  hear  us  when  we 
pray  to  Him  to  help  us  bear  our  burdens?" 

There  was  a  ring  of  defiance  in  Miss  Jennings'  tones, 
As  Faith  looked  at  the  pinched  features  her  frame  became 
almost  convulsed  with  anguish. 

"Oh.  I  wish  I  could  answer  all  your  questions,  dear!" 
she  cried  softly,  "and  I  can,  I  am  sure,  if  you  will  just  lay 


Some  Unpleasant  Information.  19 

aside  your  bitterness !  You  are  holding  black  glasses  to 
your  own  eyes,  you  poor  child,  but  the  light  will  come; 
you  must  keep  on  praying  for  it!" 

"There  is  no  use,  Faith.  I've  prayed  until  I'm  tired. 
But  don't  mind  me,  dear.  I'm  what  they  call  a  pessimist. 
I  look  on  the  dark  side  of  everything,  I  suppose;  but 
listen,  do  you  hear  what  that  cash  girl  is  saying?" 

Faith  shook  her  head.  She  had  heard  nothing  but  her 
companion's  words. 

"Jack  Forbes  is  dying!  I  saw  it  in  the  paper.  That's 
why  the  old  bear  isn't  here  to-day,  I  suppose !  It  will 
just  serve  him  right !  I'm  not  a  bit  sorry !" 

Cash  girl  Number  9  laughed  shrilly  as  she  finished  her 
announcement,  and  in  the  remarks  that  followed  Faith 
learned  who  Jack  Forbes  was,  and  that  he  was  a  really 
fine  fellow  in  spite  of  his  gold-loving  father. 

In  a  second  she  understood  also  why  Miss  Jennings  was 
still  working.  No  doubt  she  would  be  discharged  as  soon 
as  Mr.  Forbes  came  back  to  business. 

She  moved  nearer  to  her  companion  as  this  thought 
flashed  through  her  mind. 

Just  then  a  man  stuck  his  head  in  the  lunch  room  and 
looked  around.  When  he  saw  Faith  he  stared  a  minute 
and  then  disappeared  very  suddenly. 

"Hello !  Wonder  who  Hard)''  is  after  ?"  cried  one  of 
the  girls. 

"Who  was  he  ?"  asked  Faith  in  a  whisper  of  Miss  Jen 
nings.  "I've  seen  him  watching  me  several  times  this 
morning." 

Miss  Jennings  straightened  up  and  looked  at  her  a 
minute. 

"He's  one  of  the  house  detectives,"  she  said  slowly, 
"and  you  happen  to  be  a  new  girl.  Don't  bother  about 
him,  Faith.  They  are  always  watching  some  one." 

"Couldn't  hold  their  jobs  if  they  didn't,"  chimed  in  a 
clerk  who  had  overheard  her. 

"They  have  to  arrest  some  one  regularly  about  once  in 
so  often.  I  hope  some  day  they'll  arrest  the  wrong  per 
son.  It  would  cost  old  Denton  a  pretty  penny !" 

Just  then  another  clerk  from  the  ribbon  counter  came 
up  and  joined  them. 


2O  Some  Unpleasant  Information. 

"Did  you  hear  about  that  inspector  coming  here  yes 
terday,  girls  ?  Well,  it  didn't  do  any  good,  for  old  Forbes 
fooled  her  completely !  She  didn't  get  a  peep  at  this  room 
or  a  sniff  at  these  odors.  He  means  to  poison  us  all  to 
death  with  sewer  gas  before  he's  done  with  us,  but  per 
haps  it  will  be  just  as  pleasant  a  death  as  any  other." 

Faith  Marvin  looked  up  at  the  speaker  with  an  expres 
sion  of  horror  in  her  eyes. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  this  place  is  really  unhealthy, 
and  that  the  firm  refuses  to  comply  with  the  law  on  such 
matters?" 

"I  mean  to  say  that  Denton,  Day  &  Co.  comply  with  no 
law  whatever  except  their  own  sweet  will,  and  that  is  to 
overwork,  underpay  and  bulldoze  their  employees  and 
then  kick  them  out  at  a  minute's  notice." 

The  girl  spoke  the  words  with  apparent  indifference. 
Only  a  long-drawn  sigh  at  their  conclusion  showed  the 
inmost  feeling  on  the  subject.  , 

Faith  sprang  to  her  feet  with  flashing  eyes. 

"Then  that  accounts  for  the  haggard  faces  of  the  girls 
whom  I  have  seen  this  morning!  Oh,  we  must  do  some 
thing  at  once  to  alter  these  conditions !  Our  employers 
are  but  men ;  they  must  have  hearts  in  their  bosoms !" 

"You  don't  know  them,  Faith." 

It  was  Miss  Jennings  who  spoke.  She  was  trying  her 
best  to  conquer  another  fit  of  coughing. 

"Our  employers  look  upon  us  girls  as  so  many  ma 
chines,  created  for  the  sole  purpose  of  filling  their  coffers, 
and  it  is  this  God  whom  you  respect  who  allows  them  to 
abuse  us !  to  grind  us  into  the  dust  because  we  are  help 
less  !" 

The  ring  of  bitterness  in  her  tones  appalled  all  who 
heard  her  except  Faith,  who  threw  her  arms  about  her 
tenderly  as  she  answered : 

"No,  no,  Mary!  Don't  say  that!  You  are  mistaken, 
dear!  God  is  watching  over  us  all  with  the  tenderest 
love,  and  from  this  whirlwind  of  injustice  He  will  yet 
reap  a  harvest  of  good !  I  believe  it !  I  know  it,  and  I 
shall  live  to  see  it !" 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  FIRST  INSULT. 

As  the  young  girl  gave  utterance  to  these  words  of 
prophecy  her  beautiful  eyes  were  luminous  with  the  fire 
of  a  noble  purpose.  She  drew  her  graceful  form  to  its 
full  height  and  her  voice  rang  out  like  the- peal  of  a  bell, 
carrying  the  message  of  hope  to  all  that  heard  it. 

Before  any  one  could  think  of  answering",  two  gentle 
men  suddenly  appeared  in  the  doorwav  of  the  poorly 
lighted  room. 

When  the  saleswomen  and  cash  girls  saw  them  they  al 
most  stopped  breathing,  for  the  two  men  were  the  two 
senior  members  of  the  firm,  who,  for  some  reason  or 
others,  were  going  over  the  store  together. 

Both  men  stared  at  Faith  in  open  amazement.  It  was 
plain  that  they  had  overheard  her  words,  and  were  sur 
prised  at  such  sentiments  from  the  lips  of  a  greenhorn 
"packer." 

Mr.  Denton,  a  gray-haired  man  with  a  fairly  benevo 
lent  face,  seemed  more  disturbed  than  his  partner  over  the 
extraordinary  utterance,  but  as  neither  of  them  had  heard 
what  Miss  Jennings  had  said,  their  surprise  passed  quick 
ly  and  they  began  talking  together. 

"This  is  the  room  that  they  complain  of,"  said  Mr. 
Day,  with  a  contemptuous  gesture.  "Those  sneaking 
inspectors  seem  bent  on  making  us  as  much  trouble  and 
expense  as  possible." 

Mr.  Denton  peered  around  the  room,  and  even  sniffed 
a  little. 

"I  do  not  consider  it  exactly  healthy  down  here,"  he 
said,  slowly,  "but  of  course  you  know  best,  Mr.  Day ;  you 
have  charge  of  that  department.  I  should  not  dream  of 
interfering.  I  know  you  will  do  your  duty." 

"Certainly,  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Day,  promptly.     He 


22  The  First  Insult. 

was  a  short,  stout  man,  and  exceedingly  curt  and  pom 
pous. 

"I  consider  it  quite  healthy  enough  for  our  purpose, 
Mr.  Denton;  for  what  do  our  salespeople  know  of  mod 
ern  sanitary  improvements?" 

"That  is  so,"  replied  Mr.  Denton,  with  a  smile  of  satis 
faction.  "What  do  they  know,  indeed?  Why,  they  are 
nearly  all  of  them  from  the  garrets  of  some  tenement  or 
other.  They  have  never  been  accustomed  to  anything  bet 
ter,  nor  perhaps  half  as  comfortable." 

They  passed  out  of  the  room,  leaving  Faith  almost 
speechless  with  horror. 

In  her  whole  life  she  had  never  dreamed  of  such  cow 
ardly  injustice. 

"Now  you  know  that  I  am  right,  Faith,"  Miss  Jen 
nings  remarked,  with  a  harsh  laugh.  "Now  you  have 
seen  for  yourself  what  we  have  to  expect  from  our  em 
ployers." 

"They  look  on  us  as  a  lot  of  rats  from  some  garret 
or  other,"  added  the  clerk  who  had  spoken  so  bitterly  be 
fore.  "But,  time's  up ;  we  must  go  back  and  take  in  some 
more  money  for  the  darlings." 

Faith  stifled  a  sob  as  she  took  Miss  Jennings'  arm  and 
started  upstairs.  She  was  pained  and  disgusted,  but  by 
no  means  discouraged. 

"There  must  be  some  way,"  she  whispered  to  Miss  Jen 
nings.  "It  looks  very  dark,  I  am  willing  to  admit,  but 
with  God  all  things  are  possible.  I  shall  not  give  up. 
There  must  be  some  way  of  bringing  the  light  into  this 
piace.  Just  now  it  seems  lost  in  a  terrible  darkness." 

"If  God  had  wished  it  to  be  different  He  would  have 
changed  it  long  ago,"  muttered  Miss  Jennings.  "But  He 
doesn't  care,  Faith.  Don't  tell  me  that  He  cares !  W~hy, 
I  am  dying,  dying,  yet  He  cares  nothing  about  it !" 

She  broke  out  into  such  a  terrible  fit  of  coughing  that 
she  had  to  stop  on  the  stairs.  Faith  kept  her  arm  about 
her  until  the  spell  was  over. 

When  they  reached  the  floor  they  were  two  minutes 
late. 


The  First  Insult  23 

Miss  Fairbanks  met  them  and  scolded  them  both  se 
verely. 

Faith  noticed  that  Miss  Jennings  did  not  offer  to  ex 
plain  the  delay.  She  would  have  explained  it  herself 
if  her  companion  had  not  stopped  her  in  a  whisper. 

"It's  no  use,  Faith  ;  she  won't  believe  it,  or,  if  she  did, 
she'd  say  I  had  no  right  to  cough.  Poor  devil!  She 
treats  the  people  under  her  just  as  Forbes  treats  her. 
They  are  a  lot  of  slave  drivers  and  slaves  together !" 

Faith  crawled  up  to  her  desk  feeling  sick  at  heart.  She 
was  overwhelmed  with  the  knowledge  of  evil  which  was 
being  forced  upon  her. 

During  the  afternoon  she  found  time  to  write  a  few 
words  on  a  bit  of  paper  and  slip  it  into  Miss  Jennings' 
hand  without  the  buyer  seeing  her. 

"Dear  Mary,"  she  wrote,  "don't  give  up  in  despair.  I 
am  sure  that  Mr.  Denton  is  a  good  man,  only  weak  and 
indifferent.  I  shall  pray  to-night  that  God  will  open  his 
eyes — then  to-morrow  I  shall  try  personally  to  talk  to 
him,  for  I  believe  that  prayer  and  effort  should  always  go 
together.  Who  knows  but  that  I  may  be  able  to  brighten 
things  a  little?  Tt  certainly  is  worth  trying  for — to  bring 
the  light  into  dark  places." 

Miss  Jennings  \vatched  her  chance  and  handed  back 
her  reply. 

"It's  no  use,  I  tell  you,  Faith.  His  heart  is  like  stone. 
You'll  only  lose  your  place.  Take  my  advice  and  don't 
do  it." 

Faith  smiled  at  her  brightly  as  she  read  the  words. 
They  were  characteristic  of  Miss  Jennings,  philosophic 
but  bitter. 

A  fev.r  minutes  later  a  dashing  young  man  passed  by 
the  counter.  The  clerks  all  seemed  to  know  him,  and 
several  of  the  prettiest  girls  in  the  department  smiled  at 
him  openly  in  a  way  that  Faith  thought  very  immodest. 
As  he  caueht  sight  of  the  new  packer  he  stopped  abruptly 
and  stared  at  her. 

"Who  the  deuce  is  that?"  Faith  heard  him  say  to  one 
of  the  saleswomen,  a  girl  whose  cheeks  were  flaming  with 


24  The  First  Insult. 

paint  and  whose  appearance  was  that  of  a  very  vulgar 
person. 

"I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  Mr.  Denton,"  replied  the  girl, 
with  a  simper.  "She's  a  new  packer  that  was  taken  on 
this  morning.  I  haven't  heard  her  name,  and  I  don't 
know  as  I  want  to." 

"Oh,  you're  jealous  of  her,  are  you,  Mag?"  said  the 
young  man  with  a  laugh.  "Well,  I  don't  wonder,  for  she 
is  a  peach.  I'm  in  love  with  her  this  minute!" 

"You're  a  flirt,  all  right,  Mr.  Denton,"  said  the  girl, 
with  a  pout.  "I  think  she's  as  awkward  as  anything,  and 
her  color  is  abominable/' 

"She's  as  fresh  as  a  daisy,"  was  the  young  man's  an 
swer.  "Forbes  had  an  eye  for  beauty  when  he  hired  that 
lovely  creature." 

"You  men  have  queer  taste,"  snapped  the  saleswoman, 
angrily,  but  the  young  man  had  passed  on,  staring  at  Faith 
all  the  way.  Miss  Fairbanks  greeted  him  with  a  bow  that 
was  positively  servile. 

"That's  old  Denton's  son  Jim,"  explained  Miss  Jen 
nings  to  Faith  as  |he  handed  up  a  check.  "He's  a  reg1- 
ular  masher.  Comes  in  here  every  few  days,  just  to  flirt 
with  the  girls.  They  say  he's  very  wild  and  costs  his 
father  a  lot  of  money." 

"He  is  very  bold/'  was  Faith's  whispered  answer. 
"Why,  he  stared  at  me  as  if  I  were  a  dummy  instead  of 
a  lady." 

"Oh,  we  are  none  of  us  ladies ;  we  are  only  clerks," 
replied  Miss  Jennings,  bitterly.  "If  we  were  to  snub  Jim 
Denton  he  would  make  a  lot  of  trouble  for  us." 

"Mercy!"  cried  Faith.  "It  doesn't  seem  possible!  Why, 
there  seems  to  be  pitfalls  on  every  side  for  the  girl  who 
earns  her  own  living." 

Miss  Fairbanks  was  coming,  so  the  conversation  was 
ended  abruptly. 

Miss  Jennings  went  back  to  a  customer  who  had  just 
stopped  at  the  counter. 

"Show  me  some  yellow  ribbon,  right  away,  miss,"  she 
said,  very  sharply.  "I  want  to  match  this  sample.  Here, 
take  a  good  look  at  it !" 

Faith  glanced  down  and  saw  that  the  customer  was 


The  First  Insult.  25 

an  ignorant-looking  woman.  She  had  on  tawdry  cloth 
ing  and  a  lot  of  cheap  jewelry. 

Miss  Jennings  took  the  sample  and  glanced  at  it 
sharply. 

"Do  you  wish  exactly  the  same  shade  and  width?"  she 
asked,  very  politely. 

"Of  course !  What  did  you  suppose  I  brought  the  san*- 
pie  for,  if  I  don't?"  cried  the  woman.  "You  must  be  a 
dunce  to  ask  such  a  question !" 

Faith  felt  her  cheeks  grow  hot  at  this  arrogant  insult, 
but  Miss  Jennings  replied  as  quietly  as  ever,  "I  cannot 
give  you  the  same  shade  nor  the  same  width  exactly, 
madam.  This  is  the  nearest  I  have." 

She  handed  her  a  roll  that  was  a  little  different  from 
the  sample. 

"But  you  must  have  it !  Look  again  !"  commanded  the 
woman,  angrily.  "You  are  just  trying  to  save  yourself 
trouble,  you  lazy  hussy!" 

Miss  Jennings  turned  very  indifferently  and  called  to 
another  of  the  saleswomen : 

"Miss  Jones,  have  we  any  number  twelve  lemon  in 
reserve?  Here's  a  sample,  and  this  lady  is  anxious  to 
match  it." 

Miss  Jones  glanced  at  the  sample  that  Miss  Jennings 
was  holding. 

"You  know  very  well  that  we  are  all  out  of  that,"  she 
replied,  sharply.  "How  often  have  I  told  you  not  to 
bother  me  with  such  questions !" 

Miss  Jennings  handed  the  sample  to  the  customer  with 
out  the  slightest  trace  of  emotion. 

"The  'head  of  stock'  says  we  have  none.  I  trust  you; 
will  believe  her,  madam." 

The  woman  snatched  her  sample  and  hurried  away, 
while  Miss  Jennings  went  to  another  customer  as  calmly 
as  though  nothing  had  happened. 

Faith  drew  a  long  breath.  Her  cheeks  were  fairly, 
tingling.  She  glanced  about  a  little  to  see  whether  anyj 
one  else  had  noticed  the  transaction. 

The  clerks  were  all  moving  about  in  their  automatic 
way.  It  was  plain  that  such  occurrences  as  this  amounted! 
to  nothing. 


26  The  First  Insult. 

Suddenly  Faith's  glance  rested  on  a  young  man  who 
was  standing  in  the  aisle  where  he  could  watch  her  every 
movement. 

As  their  eyes  met  he  raised  his  hat  and  smiled  at  her 
brazenly. 

Faith  gasped  for  breath.  Her  insulter  was  young  Den- 
ton. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FAITH  DISCOVERS  A  FRESH  HORROR. 

Faith  dropped  her  eyes  to  her  desk  so  that  she  would 
not  see  the  fellow,  but  she  could  still  feel  the  insulting 
gaze  that  was  bent  upon  her. 

She  was  glad  when  a  great  crowd  of  shoppers  came 
surging  in  at  the  big  doors,  for  the  afternoons  were  al 
ways  far  busier  than  the  mornings  at  this  establishment. 

Faith  soon  began  to  wonder  if  the  goods  could  possibly 
come  up  to  be  wrapped  very  much  faster.  Her  arms  as 
well  as  her  back  were  aching.  The  clerks  were  screaming 
for  cash  girls  every  other  minute,  for  besides/ the  packer 
above  each  counter  there  were  a  number  of  others  at 
different  points  throughout  the  store  and  all  were  as  busy 
as  bees  through  the  rush  hours. 

"There's  no  rest  for  the  weary. " 

It  was  Miss  Jennings  who  spoke.  She  was  talking  to  a 
customer,  a  fine-looking  old  lady. 

"I  expect  there  isn't,  dear/'  said  the  lady,  pleasantly. 
"And  you  do  look  fagged  out — I  declare  if  you  don't.  I 
hope  you  get  good  pay  for  standing  all  day  behind  this 
counter !" 

Miss  Jennings  laughed  in  her  harsh,  dry  way. 

"I  won't  shock  you  by  telling  you  what  I  get,'*  she 
said  wearily.  "But  if  all  my  customers  were  like  you  it 
would  not  matter  so  much.  It's  a  pleasure  to  wait  upon 
you !  I  hope  you'll  come  often." 

"Dear,  dear!  Well,  I'm  sorry  if  they  are  not  all  kind 
to  you,"  said  the  lady.  "It  is  hard  to  have  to  work,  but 
there  is  some  good  reason  for  it.  It  will  all  come  right  by, 
and  by ;  but  tell  me,  child,  what  in  the  world  is  the  mat 
ter?" 

There  was  a  terrible  racket  on  the  floor  overhead.  As 
the  lady  asked  the  question  a  perfect  bedlam  broke  loose. 

The  next  second  the  cry  of  "Fire!"  was  heard  all  over; 
the  building. 


28          Faith  Discovers  a  Fresh  Horror. 

"Quick!  Come  behind  the  counter,  madam!"  cried 
Miss  Jennings,  trying  to  draw  the  old  lady  through  the 
gate.  "There's  a  panic  on  the  stairs !  The  mob  will 
sweep  through  here  directly!" 

In  less  than  a  minute  her  words  came  true.  There 
was  a  fearful  rush  of  feet  overhead,  then  with  shrill 
shrieks  of  fright  great  crowds  of  women  and  children 
swept  down  the  stairway.  These  were  swelled  by  a  small 
army  of  male  and  female  clerks,  until  the  whole  lower 
floor  was  filled  with  a  mob  of  struggling,  pushing,  human 
beings. 

Miss  Jennings  succeeded  in  dragging  the  kind  old  lady 
behind  the  counter,  then  she  began  putting  away  her 
goods  as  quickly  as  possible. 

"Quick,  girls !  Get  out  while  you  can !"  cried  a  fright 
ened  voice.  "The  second  floor  is  all  on  fire !  The  ceiling 
will  fall  in  a  minute !" 

Faith  glanced  around  to  see  who  had  spoken.  She 
was  surprised  to  see  that  it  was  Miss  Fairbanks,  the 
buyer.  In  the  hour  of  danger  this  coarse  woman  had 
actually  thought  to  warn  her  charges,  but  she  vanished  in 
a  second  without  waiting  to  see  who  followed. 

"It  will  be  folly  to  attempt  to  get  out  now,"  Faith  cried 
distinctly.  "We  would  only  be  trampled  to  death !  Wait 
a  minute, — do,  until  the  aisles  get  clearer !" 

"Remain  at  your  posts  and  look  after  your  goods !" 
cried  a  voice  that  every  one  recognized  as  that  of  Mr. 
Gibson,  the  manager.  "The  fire  amounts  to  nothing.  It 
was  a  false  alarm !  Don't  one  of  you  dare  to  leave  your 
counters !" 

"Do  you  expect  us  to  stay  here  and  burn  up?"  cried  a 
woman's  voice.  "Well,  I,  for  one,  won't  do  it !  Come  on, 
Miss  Jennings !" 

"Not  a  step!"  answered  Miss  Jennings  in  her  shrill, 
weak  voice.  "You  are  a  fool  to  trust  your  life  in  that 
howling  mob,  Kate!  Wait  a  minute;  we'll  get  out  all 
right  if  we  keep  our  wits  about  us." 

"That's  right,"  called  Faith,  standing  erect  at  her  desk. 
"Keep  cool,  girls ;  we  are  perfectly  safe  as  long  as  we 
keep  behind  the  counters." 

"You  are  a  nervy  one,  miss,"  said  a  voice  at  her  ear. 


Faith  Discovers  a  Fresh  Horror.          29 

Faith  turned  and  saw  that  young  Denton  was  standing 
close  behind  her. 

"It  is  the  only  thing  to  do,"  she  said  with  perfect  com 
posure.  "Those  people  are  all  crazy.  See  how  they  tram 
ple  on  each  other !" 

She  was  gazing  over  the  store  in  a  perfectly  natural 
way.  There  was  not  a  trace  of  fear  or  excitement  upon 
her  features. 

"The  floor  managers  are  getting  them  under  control, 
I  think,"  said  the  young  man,  who,  like  Faith,  was  as  cool 
and  composed  as  possible.  "There  they  go — the  very  last 
of  them — and  the  floor  is  deserted.  Ten  to  one  there's 
no  fire  at  all.  I'll  go  up  and  investigate." 

He  sprang  off  the  counter  and  bounded  up  the  stairs. 
Faith  could  not  help  noticing  that  he  was  really  a  very 
manly  fellow.  She  began  to  think  that  she  had  been 
mistaken  regarding  his  insulting  actions. 

"There  is  no  fire,  I  tell  you !"  called  Mr.  Gibson  again. 
"It  was  only  a  puff  of  smoke  on  the  second  floor!  Will 
people  never  learn  to  keep  their  heads  at  such  times,  I 
wonder !" 

The  most  of  the  clerks  were  still  behind  the  counters, 
and  as  the  manager  made  this  remark  one  of  the  oldest 
men  in  the  store  raised  his  head  and  answered  him. 

"Our  customers  probably  know  our  facilities  for  fight 
ing  a  fire,"  he  said  sneeringly.  "The  place  is  a  regular 
death-trap.  No  wonder  they  ran  from  it!" 

"Keep  your  news  to  yourself,  Block,  if  you  please!" 
said  Mr.  Gibson  quickly. 

Some  one  called  him  at  that  instant  or  his  reprimand 
would  probably  have  been  sharper. 

Faith  had  heard  both  remarks,  and  so  had  the  old  lady, 
who  was  still  standing  beside  Miss  Jennings  behind  the 
ribbon  counter. 

"Is  that  true?  Is  the  store  such  a  fire-trap?"  asked  the 
old  lady  quickly.  "Dear,  dear,  what  a  place  to  cage  a 
lot  of  human  beings !" 

"The  fire  department  has  ordered  the  boss  to  put  in 
more  apparatus  a  dozen  times  that  I  know  of,"  answered 
Miss  Jennings,  promptly,  "but  the  building  is  insured  and 


30          Faith  Discovers  a  Fresh  Horror. 

so  is  the  stock.  What  do  they  care  about  us !  We  must 
take  our  chances !" 

"Well,  I  guess  the  danger  is  over  now,  so  I'll  go,-'  said 
the  lady.  "Thank  you,  my  dear,  for  your  kindness.  I 
wish  I  could  do  something  to  help  you." 

"You  have  helped  me  with  your  sympathy,"  said  Miss 
Jennings,  quickly. 

"You  shall  see  me  again,"  was  the  old  lady's  reply.  "As 
a  Christian  woman,  I  must  look  into  this  matter." 

She  went  away  after  shaking  hands  with  Miss  Jennings 
and  smiling  up  at  Faith  in  a  friendly  manner. 

The  clerks  who  had  rushed  down  from  the  second  floor 
at  the  alarm  of  fire  were  coming  back  slowly  with  a 
shamed  look  on  their  faces. 

They  trooped  back  up  the  stairs  to  their  different  de 
partments  just  as  a  big  sign  was  posted  before  the  main 
entrance,  stating  that  there  was  no  fire  in  the  building. 

It  was  an  exciting  half  hour,  but  through  it  all  Faith 
stood  erect,  ready  and  calmly  waiting  for  anything  that 
might  happen.  In  the  very  midst  of  the  commotion  her 
quick  eyes  detected  a  fresh  horror.  She  saw  a  clerk  at  a 
neighboring  counter  grab  a  handsome  piece  of  jewelry 
and  secrete  it  in  her  pocket  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning. 

When  order  was  at  last  restored  Faith  was  in  a  most 
distressed  frame  of  mind.  She  was  dreading  through 
sheer  pity  what  she  knew  to  be  her  duty. 

"All  over,  Faith,  and  no  lives  lost,"  called  Miss  Jen 
nings  softly. 

She  was  as  absolutely  colorless  and  apathetic  as  ever. 

"Oh,  Mary."  whispered  Faith,  "there's  something  I 
must  tell  you." 

She  bent  down  from  her  desk  after  looking  about 
sharply  for  the  buyer. 

"Don't  mind  about  Fairbanks,  she  has  bolted!"  said 
Miss  Jennings  with  a  laugh.  "You  can  trust  the  heads  of 
departments  to  save  their  own  bacon !" 

"But,  she  thought  of  us,  too;  you  heard  her,  Mary," 
said  Faith.  "Poor  thing,  she  may  be  irritable,  but  she 
isn't  bad-hearted. 

"I  ain't  so  sure  about  that — but  what  is  it,  Faith  ?  There 


Faith  Discovers  a  Fresh  Horror.         31 

•will  be  no  customers  for  some  time,  probably,  so  you  have 
a  right  to  talk  to  me." 

Faith  leaned  a  little  lower  so  she  could  whisper  in  her 
ear. 

"I  just  saw  one  of  the  clerks  steal  something,"  she  said. 
"It  was  during  the  excitement.  She  has  it  in  her  pocket." 

"Oh,  that's  nothing !" 

Miss  Jennings  spoke  as  indifferently  as  ever. 

"Why,  what  do  you  mean?"  Faith  gasped  in  astonish 
ment.  "You  surely  do  not  mean  that  you  approve  of 
stealing !" 

"Approve  of  it,  no !"  answered  Miss  Jennings  slowly. 
"But  it  doesn't  concern  you  or  me,  either,  Faith.  The  girl 
was  probably  desperate.  I  do  not  blame  her !" 

"Oh,  Mary !" 

Faith's  words  were  redolent  of  bitter  anguish.  For 
the  first  time  since  they  met  she  drew  a  little  away  from 
her. 

."You  don't  understand,  Faith,"  said  the  other  quickly. 
She  had  noticed  the  movement,  and  her  tone  showed  that 
she  was  pained  by  it 

"I'm  afraid  I  don't." 

Faith  said  the  words  coldly.  "I  certainly  don't  under 
stand  dishonesty  in  the  very  least.  I  may  be  wrong,  but  I 
cannot  excuse  it.  It  is  my  duty  to  report  that  girl,  and  I 
shall  certainly  do  it." 

"You  shall  not !" 

Miss  Jennings  had  lo-st  her  apathy  and  indifference  for 
once.  She  was  looking  Faith  steadily  in  the  eye,  her  own 
fairly  burning  with  anger. 

"See  here,  Faith,"  she  went  on,  "you  have  a  whole  lot  to 
learn,  and  I  guess  I  am  just  as  well  qualified  to  teach  you 
as  any  one.  What  you  don't  know  about  dishonesty 
would  fill  a  whole  library  of  books.  Promise  me  that  you 
will  say  nothing  about  that  matter  until  to-morrow,  at 
least.  Promise,  Faith.  It  will  do  no  harm.  If  you  are  a 
Christian  you  must  have  charity." 

Faith  j^azed  at  her  earnestly  for  the  space  of  a  second. 
There  was  something  besides  anger  in  her  new  friend's 
eagerness. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FRESH   GLIMPSES  OF   EVIL. 

"I  promise,"  said  Faith,  after  another  moment's  hesita 
tion.  "I  will  hear  what  you  have  to  say  on  the  subject, 
Mary,  but  I  am  sure  I  shall  still  think  it  right  to  report 
that  theft  to-morrow." 

Miss  Jennings  turned  away  with  a  relieved  expression. 
The  woman  she  had  called  "Kate"  was  just  coming  back 
behind  the  counter. 

"I've  lost  my  job  through  my  stupidity,"  she  said  sul 
lenly.  "Gibson  says  I  am  discharged  for  being  impudent 
to  him." 

"I'm  sorry,  but  you  might  have  known,"  replied  Miss 
Jennings  shortly.  "Still,  you  haven't  lost  much ;  perhaps 
you'll  get  something  better." 

"Well,  I  hope  so,  but  there's  not  much  chance  at  this 
season,"  said  the  woman.  "Six  dollars  a  week  was  better 
than  nothing.  It's  more  than  I  can  make  by  taking  in 
washing." 

"Oh,  you  surely  won't  have  to  do  that!"  cried  Faith 
involuntarily.  She  had  been  listening  to  their  conversa 
tion  without  realizing  it. 

The  woman  glanced  up  at  her  and  gave  a  sharp  laugh. 

"That,  or  worse,"  she  said  coarsely.  "I  can't  starve  to 
death,  can  I  ?" 

There  was  no  mistaking  what  she  meant.  Her  words 
sent  a  thrill  of  horror  through  every  fibre  of  Faith's  body. 

"She  surely  did  not  mean  that,"  she  whispered  to  Miss 
Jennings  as  soon  as  the  saleswoman  had  gone. 

"Why  not?"  asked  Miss  Jennings  in  her  bitterest  man 
ner. 

For  the  second  time  that  day  Faith  drew  back  with 
swift  motion,  but  this  time  her  companion  did  not  appear 
to  notice  it. 

"She's  got  a  sick  husband  and  three  children,"  she  said 


Fresh  Glimpses  of  Evil.  33 

sharply;  "and  it's  no  fault  of  hers  that  she  can't  earn  an 
honest  living.  I  tell  you,  Faith,  that  you  have  lots  to 
learn.  I'm  sorry  you  must  learn  it  all  in  a  lump,  of  course, 
but  the  sooner  it  is  learned  the  sooner  you'll  get  used  to 
it." 

She  breathed  a  deep  sigh  as  she  turned  away.  For  a 
moment  her  real  feeling  showed  above  her  indifference. 

"Get  used  to  it — never!"  cried  Faith,  almost  hysteri 
cally.  "And  you  are  not  used  to  it,  either,  Mary;  it  is 
killing  you  this  minute !" 

"Perhaps  you  are  right,"  said  Miss  Jennings,  slowly, 
then  as  the  customers  were  gradually  drifting  back  into 
the  store  she  went  forward  to  wait  upon  them  with  her 
usual  indifference. 

For  the  next  half  hour  Faith  was  very  busy.  The  ex 
citement  had  passed,  leaving  no  trace  behind  it. 

At  exactly  six  o'clock  a  big  gong  was  sounded.  Faith 
was  so  tired  and  nervous  that  she  almost  cried  for  joy 
when  she  heard  it. 

"It  has  been  the  hardest  day  of  my  life,"  she  .said  to 
Miss  Jennings  as  they  reached  the  cloak-room. 

"Well,  you'll  have  many  such  if  you  stay  here  long," 
was  the  reply.  "There  are  nothing  but  hard  days  for  the 
slaves  of  Denton,  Day  &  Co." 

There  was  a  crowd  of  women  and  girls  waiting  at  the 
lavatory  basins,  and  as  Faith  caught  sight  of  the  towels 
she  turned  away  with  a  shudder. 

"You'll  have  to  go  home  with  dirty  hands,  Faith,  but 
you  musn't  mind  that ;  we  wouldn't  get  out  of  here  until 
midnight  if  we  waited  our  turn  at  those  basins." 

Miss  Jennings  was  putting  on  her  hat  as  she  spoke,  and 
as  Faith  started  to  look  for  hers  the  clerk  whom  young 
Denton  had  called  "Mag"  came  slowly  up  to  them. 

"Heard  the  news,  eighty-nine?" 

She  asked  Miss  Jennings  the  question,  but  she  was 
looking  straight  at  Faith.  There  was  a  gleam  in  her  eye 
that  was  very  unpleasant. 

"What  news,  Maggie?"  asked  Mjss  Jennings,  noticing 
the  look  at  once.  She  knew  the  girl's  disposition,  and  al 
most  dreaded  what  was  coming. 

"Old  Forbes  was  robbed  of  five  hundred  dollars !   Some 


34  Fresh  Glimpses  of  Evil. 

one  stole  it  from  his  desk  early  yesterday  morning. 
There's  pretty  good  proof  already  as  to  who  was  the  thief. 
I  wouldn't  stand  in  her  shoes  for  double  the  money !" 

She  was  still  watching  Faith  with  her  eyes  half  closed. 
Miss  Jennings  was  too  shrewd  to  be  deceived  a  minute  as 
to  her  actual  meaning. 

"Well,  you'll  save  yourself  trouble  by  keeping  your 
mouth  shut,"  she  said,  crossly.  "It  dont  pay  to  meddle 
with  such  matters  as  that,  Maggie,  especially  if  you  hap 
pen  to  be  living  under  a  cloud  yourself.  Somebody  might 
take  a  notion  to  turn  the  tables  on  you,  you  know.  I'd  as 
as  soon  be  a  thief  as  some  other  things  1  might  mention." 

There  was  a  sneer  in  her  tones  that  was  unmistakable. 
Faith  turned  just  in  time  to -catch  its  full  meaning. 

"Oh,  you  needn't  preach !"  cried  the  other  angrily. 
"Any  one  can  see  you're  fairly  green  with  envy,  eighty- 
nine  !  You'd  give  a  whole  lot  to  be  able  to  flirt  with  the 
boys,  but,  as  Jim  Denton  says,  you  are  too  pale  and 
skinny !" 

"For  shame !" 

It  was  Faith  who  spoke  the  words.  She  was  facing  the 
brazen-faced  girl  with  her  eyes  blazing  angrily. 

"How  dare  you  speak  like  that  to  a  poor,  sick  girl? 
Have  you  no  heart  in  your  bosom,  no  decency  or  con 
science"!  It -does  not  seem  possible  to  me  that  girls  can  be 
so  hateful  toward  each  other.  Are  we  not  all  sisters,  who 
have  been  commanded  to  love  one  another?" 

There  was  silence  for  just  a  second  as  Faith  finished 
speaking,  then  a  loud,  coarse  laugh  broke  from  Maggie 
Brady's  lips. 

"Oh,  Ford!  Hear  her,  girls!  Hear  the  little  preacher 
in  petticoats !  Isn't  she  eloquent,  the  pretty  thing!  Why, 
sh"  might  to  be  a  corporal  in  the  Salvation  Army!" 

There  was  a  roar  of  laughter  at  the  rude  girl's  words, 
during  which  Miss  Jennings  caught  Faith  by  the  arm  and 
half  dragged  her  from  the  cloak-room. 

"Come!  Faith,  let  us  go!  This  is  no  place  for  you. 
That  girl  is  the  most  brazen  hussy  in  the  whole  establish 
ment,  and  that's  saying  a  good  deal,  as  you'll  find  out 
later!" 

They  hurried  out  into  the  street  as  quickly  as  possible. 


Fresh  Glimpses  of  Evil.  35 

Faith  was  almost  crying  with  indignation  when  they 
reached  the  sidewalk. 

"Now,  brace  up,  dear;  it's  all  over  for  to-day,"  said 
Miss  Jennings.  "You'll  soon  get  used  to  it;  that's  ex 
actly  what  every  one  of  us  have  had  to  go  through  with, 
but  the  girls  are  not  all  like  Mag;  there  are  lots  of  nice 
ones.  She  wasn't  so  bad,  either,  until  Jim  Denton  noticed 
her." 

"Is  he  her  sweetheart?"  asked  Faith  as  soon  as  she 
could  control  her  voice.  "I  heard  them  talking  together 
and  I  am  sure  she  loves  him." 

Miss  Jennings  gave  vent  to  one  of  her  harshest  laughs. 

"Jim  Denton  is  a  wicked  young  man/'  she  said  very 
slowly.  "He  cares  no  more  for  Maggie  than  he  does  for 
lots  of  the  others,  but  she's  such  a  fool  she  can't  see  it, 
and  that  shows,  of  course,  that  she's  pretty  badly  gone  on 
him." 

"You  mean  that  she  loves  him  ?"  questioned  Faith,  who 
Was  not  very  familiar  with  shop-girl  slang. 

"Well,  you  can't  call  it  love,  exactly,"  explained  Miss 
Jennings,  "but  it's  the  best  she's  got.  She  thinks  she  loves 
him." 

The  girls  had  walked  a  couple  of  blocks  and  were  wait 
ing  for  a  car.  They  were  glad  to  find  that  they  lived  near 
each  other.  The  same  street  car  would  land  them  a  short 
distance  from  their  homes,  which  were  modest  flats  in  the 
cheapest  portion  of  Harlem. 

As  they  hailed  the  car,  Faith's  quick  eye  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  man  who  seemed  to  be  following  them. 

As  he  sprang  on  the  rear  platform  of  the  car  she  called 
her  companion's  attention  to  him. 

"It's  Bob  Hardy,  one  of  our  detectives,"  said  Miss  Jen 
nings,  worideringly.  "Why,  he  lives  in  Jersey.  He  must 
be  following  somebody." 

Faith  looked  at  her  a  moment  before  she  spoke  again. 

"I  wonder  if  there  is  any  truth  in  what  that  girl  said 
about  the  robbery  in  the  office.  I've  been  thinking  of  it 
ever  since.  She  looked  at  me  so  funny !  And  see,  Mary, 
that  detective  is  watching  me,  too,  he  has  hardly  taken 
his  eves  off  of  me  since  we  entered  the  car.  It  can't  be 


36  Fresh  Glimpses  of  Evil. 

possible  that  they  think  I  took  the  money,  can  it?  You 
know  I  was  in  the  office  early  yesterday  morning." 

She  spoke  so  timidly  that  Miss  Jennings  gave  her  a 
sharp  glance.  Then  she  turned  involuntarily  and  looked 
at  the  detective. 

"God  help  you  if  Hardy  is  after  you,"  she  whispered 
with  a  shudder.  "That  fellow  is  a  fiend  about  making 
arrests.  He'd  accuse  his  own  mother  of  stealing,  I  be 
lieve,  if  he  thought  he  could  win  the  regard  of  old  Forbes 
by  doing  it !" 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
A  FIENDISH  PROPOSITION. 

When  Faith  left  the  car  Bob  Hardy  followed  her.  He 
made  no  attempt  to  conceal  the  fact  that  he  was  watching 
her,  and  when  Faith  had  reached  the  middle  of  a  block' 
of  vacant  lots  he  quickened  his  steps  and  was  soon  beside 
her. 

"Just  a  minute,  miss/'  he  said,  tapping  her  lightly  on 
the  shoulder. 

Faith  wheeled  around  and  confronted  him  with  cold 
dignity. 

''Well,  what  do  you  wish  with  me,  sir?"  she  asked 
quietly.  "I  noticed  that  you  were  following  me.  Have 
you  had  orders  to  do  so?" 

"Not  exactly,  miss,"  said  the  detective,  a  little  discon 
certed  ly,  "but  you  are  in  a  pretty  bad  fix  over  that  money 
affair,  and  I  just  thought  I'd  put  you  on  your  guard  as 
a  sort  of  favor." 

"What?" 

Faith's  voice  fairly  vibrated  with  indignation.  "Ex 
plain  yourself,  sir.  I  do  not  understand  you  ?" 

"Oh,  if  you  insist,''  said  the  detective  with  a  disagreea 
ble  leer,  "I  won't  be  so  unkind  as  to  disappoint  a  lady." 

He  stepped  a  little  to  one  side  as  he  spoke,  and  his  eyes 
wandered  scrutinizingly  over  Faith's  lovely  face  and 
figure. 

"You  see,"  he  continued,  "you  are  badly  tangled  up  in 
that  affair  at  the  office ;  in  fact,  to  be  plain,  Mr.  Forbes 
thinks  that  you  stole  the  five  hundred  dollars,  and  it  will 
go  hard  with  you  when  he  gets  back  to  biz;  that's  why 
I  wanted  to  warn  you." 

"Indeed !" 

Faith's  head  towered  above  the  detective's  as  she  spoke. 

"You  are  very  kind,  Mr.  Detective ;  but,  as  I  have  stolen 
no  money,  nor  anything  else,  I  have  no  fear  of  Mr.  Forbes 


38  A  Fiendish  Proposition. 

or  any  need  of  your  most  extraordinary  warning.  You 
will  please  allow  me  to  pass  and  not  follow  me  any  far 
ther.  It  is  no  sign  because  I  am  working  in  a  store  that 
I  am  not  a  lady  and  entitled  to  courtesy." 

She  started  to  pass  him,  but  with  a  stride  the  fellow 
was  before  her. 

"Not  so  fast,  my  fine  lady,"  he  cried  with  a  sneer. 
"You  don't  know  me,  I  guess.  I  don't  let  thieves  escape 
me  so  easily." 

"How  dare  you?"  cried  Faith,  her  face  flaming  with 
anger. 

"Oh,  I  dare  anything,"  retorted  the  detective,,  "espe 
cially  where  my  reputation  is  at  stake!  I've  got  orders 
from  Forbes  to  catch  that  thief,  and,  as  you  are  the  easiest 
bird  to  catch,  I'm  just  going  to  bag  you — that's  all  there 
is  about  it.  I'll  swear  that  I  found  this  wad  of  bills  in 
your  pocket,  see !" 

He  drew  a  roll  of  money  from  his  pocket  and  flourished 
it  before  her  as  he  spoke. 

"Oh,  you  would  never  be  so1  wicked,  so  dastardly,  as 
that!"  cried  Faith.  "Have  you  no  sense  of  honor,  no 
manliness  about  you?" 

Her  words  were  so  appealing  that  the  detective  winced 
a  little.  His  keen  eyes  shifted  uneasily.  He  could  not 
face  her. 

"I  offered  to  warn  you,"  he  muttered  at  last.  "There's 
a  way  out  of  the  fix  if  you  are  a  mind  to  take  it." 

"But  I  am  in  no  fix!"  protested  Faith.  "I  have  done 
no  wrong!  How  dare  you  accuse  me!" 

The  detective  went  on  as  though  she  had  not  spoken. 

"There's  a  way  out  of  it,  miss ;  you  have  only  to  say 
the  word.  I  know  a  gent  that's  in  love  with  you  this 
very  minute.  He'll  fix  things  with  old  Forbes — he's  got 
lots  of  dough.  Just  you  promise  to  be  agreeable  and  I'll 
hush  the  whole  thing  up  to-morrow." 

As  he  made  this  fiendish  suggestion  he  eyed  the  girl 
sharply. 

Each  change  in  her  expression  seemed  to  render  her 
more  beautiful.  For  a  moment  she  was  dazed  and  almost 
powerless  to  speak,  then,  as  a  great  wave  of  color  swept 


A  Fiendish  Proposition.  39 

up  to  her  very  brow,  she  fairly  hissed  her  answer  in  a 
scorching  whisper. 

"You  coward!  You  cur!  Go  at  once  and  leave  me! 
Make  what  accusations  you  like — I  am  afraid  of  you  no 
longer!  In  God  will  I  place  my  trust,  and  He  will  not 
forsake  me !  Go,  I  say,  and  think  well  over  what  you  are 
doing.  Remember  that  there  is  One  above  'you  who  is 
watching  your  evil  deeds  and  as  surely  as  He  will  punish 
the  wicked  so  will  He  protect  the  innocent !" 

As  she  spoke  the  last  words  she  walked  hastily  away. 

Bob  Hardy  stared  after  her  stupidly,  but  did  not  at 
tempt  to  follow  her. 

"Well,  what  did  she  say?"  asked  a  voice  at  his  elbow. 

A  well-dressed  man  of  middle  age  had  walked  slowly 
across  the  street  and  stood  waiting  impatiently  for 
Hardy's  answer. 

The  detective  drew  a  long  breath  and  shrugged  his 
shoulders  a  little. 

"Oh,  she's  a  high  flyer,"  he  answered,  cautiously.  "It 
will  take  time  to  clip  her  wings  and  tame  her,  captain,  but 
don't  you  worry  a  bit.  I'll  earn  your  fifty  dollars." 

"As  you  have  earned  several  other  fifties,"  said  the 
"captain,"  smiling.  "Oh,  well,  you  are  in  the  right  place 
for  just  such  work.  It's  dead  easy  for  you,  Hardy. 
Why,  those  girls  would  all  of  them  jump  at  the  chance  of 
getting  out  from  behind  those  counters,  but  the  deuce  of 
it  is  that  it's  only  the  new  ones  who  are  pretty." 

"Well,  you've  picked  out  the  prettiest  now,  all  right/* 
laughed  Hardy.  "But  I  expect  I  shall  have  to  scare  her 
a  little.  She's  not  only  proud  as  Lucifer,  but  she's  chock 
full  of  religion.  Says  God  will  protect  her  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing." 

The  well-dressed  "captain"  threw  back  his  head  and 
roared. 

"God  will  trouble  Himself  a  lot  about  her,  I'm  think 
ing,"  he  said,  chuckling.  "He  is  so  given  to  looking  after 
those  half-starved  creatures !  Why,  the  Devil  is  the  shop 
girls'  best  friend,  if  they  only  knew  it." 

"He  stands  by  us  pretty  well,  too,  eh!  captain?"  said 
Hardy,  "But  I  must  be  getting  home,  as  I  live  way  over 
in  Jersey.  I'll  report  to-morrow  night  at  your  place 


4O  A  Fiendish  Proposition. 

downtown.  She'll  be  less  religious  by  that  time  if  she 
sees  that  God  has  gone  back  on  her,  I  guess/' 

"You  mean  that  you  will  press  the  charge  against  her 
and  have  them  send  her  to  jail?  That's  going  pretty  far, 
Hardy;  but  I'll  leave  it  to  your  judgment." 

"Oh,  pshaw  !  She'll  be  tractable  before  it  comes  to  that 
pass,  captain.  I've  seen  girls  before.  I  know  how  to 
handle  'em." 

The  two  men  parted,  Hardy  going  to  his  home  in  Jer 
sey,  while  the  man  whom  he  had  called  "captain"  went 
in  the  direction  of  Fifth  avenue.  • 

When  he  arrived  at  his  magnificent  bachelor  apartments 
he  let  himself  in  with  a  latch-key.  His  colored  valet  was 
busy  in  one  of  the  rooms  packing  his  master's  clothing 
into  two  traveling  bags. 

"Well,  Dave,"  said  the  captain,  gayly,  "we  will  have 
a  fine  trip  South,  I  fancy ;  but  don't  hurry  with  that  pack 
ing.  Let  it  go  for  a  day.  I've  decided  not  to  start  as 
soon  as  I  intended." 

"All  right,  sah;  I'll  drop  it  right  quick,  sah,"  said  the 
negro.  "Yere's  a  letter,  sah,  dat  was  brung  'bout  an  hour 
ago.  I  dun  tole  de  boy  dat  you  would  anser  it  at  your 
leesyur,  sah." 

Captain  Paul  Deering  laughed  at  his  servant's  lan 
guage.  Dave  always  used  big  words  and  the  most  ex 
travagant  manners  when  he  came  in  contact  with  other 
people's  servants. 

"By  Jove!"  exclaimed  the  captain,  as  he  opened  the 
letter.  "It's  from  my  lawyer,  Dave,  telling  me  that  my 
sister  has  been  found.  She  is  living  here  in  the  city,  and 
is  a  widow  with  one  daughter." 

"Yo'  doan'  say  so,  sah !" 

Dave  was  standing  with  his  mouth  wide  open  to  indi 
cate  his  interest  in  the  news.  He  had  been  with  the 
captain  so  long  that  he  was  very  deep  in  his  confidences. 

"Yes,  she's  here  in  town,  and  has  been  for  years,  and 
to  think  I've  been  here,  too,  and  didn't  know  it!  You 
see,  Dave,  I  ran  away  from  home  when  she  was  only  a 
young  girl.  When  the  home  was  broken  up  I  lost  track 
of  her  completely.  Now  there's  a  snug  little  fortune  wait 
ing  for  her  that  she  should  have  had  five  years  ago,  but 


A  Fiendish  Proposition.  41 

perhaps  it's  just  as  well  it's  been  accumulating  interest 
all  the  time." 

"An'  yourn  has  bin  a  losin'  interes',"  replied  the  negro, 
grinning.  "I  neber  see  money  slip  troo'  a  man's  fingers 
so  fas'  as  it  do  troo'  yourn,  capting,  dat's  a  fac'." 

"Oh,  I  get  the  worth  of  it  as  I  go  along,  Dave,"  laughed 
the  captain,  "but  I  suppose  I've  got  to  go  out  again  now 
and  call  on  my  new-found  sister." 

He  glanced  at  the  address  which  the  lawyer  had  given 
him. 

"Pshaw!  That's  too  bad/'  he  said,  impatiently.  "If 
I  had  only  known  this  two  hours  sooner !  Why,  I've  just 
come  from  that  very  locality,  and  it's  way  up  in  Harlem." 

As  he  reached  for  his  hat  there  was  a  sharp  ring  at 
his  door-bell. 

"Dat's  Dr.  Graham,  sah ;  I  knows  dat  ring  ob  his," 
said  the  valet  quickly.  "Dat  mean,  sah,  you  doan'  call  on 
no  sister  dis  ebenin'." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    PLEA   OF    MISS   JENNINGS. 

When  Faith  Marvin  entered  her  mother's  four-room 
flat,  on  the  top  floor  of  a  dingy  brick  building-  she  was 
almost  out  of  breath  from  indignation  and  rapid  walking. 

She  tried  to  calm  herself  a  little  before  her  mother  saw 
her,  for  Mrs.  Marvin  was  on  the  verge  of  nervous  pros 
tration. 

When  Faith  looked  into  the  little  parlor  she  saw  what 
she  dreaded  most,  her  mother  lying  on  the  sofa  suffering 
from  a  terrible  headache. 

"I  must  say  absolutely  nothing,"  whispered  Faith  to 
herself;  "but  what  if  that  fellow  should  follow  me  home! 
Oh,  it  would  be  terrible !  Terrible !  I  am  sure  it  would 
kill  her!" 

She  washed  her  face  and  hands  and  smoothed  her  hair, 
then  went  quietly  into  the  parlor  and  kissed  her  mother. 

"Oh,  Faith,"  cried  the  sick  woman,  sharply. 

"How  did  you  get  along,  dear?  Were  they  kind  to 
you  in  that  dreadful  store,  or  will  they  kill  my  daughter, 
as  they  did  my  husband?"  * 

"Hush,  mother;  don't  say  anything  like  that,  there's  a 
dear,"  said  Faith  quickly.  "Don't  let  your  mind  dwell  so 
steadily  on  unpleasant  things,  and  just  as  soon  as  your 
head  is  better  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"Tell  me  now.  Faith,  I  insist,"  cried  her  mother,  ir 
ritably.  "I  must  know  the  truth  at  once.  Just  think, 
dear,  I  have  lain  here  all  day  worrying  about  you,  my 
child!  It  has  been  the  hardest  day  of  your  life!  I  feel 
it  and  I  can  see  it." 

She  was  gazing  at  Faith  with  a  keen,  penetrating 
glance.  It  would  have  been  cruel  to  have  kept  her  in 
ignorance  any  longer. 

"Well,  then,  lie  down,  dear,  and  I'll  begin  at  the  begin 
ning,"  said  Faith  gently,  "and  you  must  promise  not  to 
ask  questions  until  I  have  finished." 


The  Plea  of  Miss  Jennings.  43 

She  laid  her  mother  back  on  the  sofa  and  began  her 
tale,  but  she  took  care  to  touch  upon  some  things  very 
lightly  and  leave  others  out  of  her  narration  altogether. 

When  she  had  finished  her  mother  still  lay  silent  for  a 
few  minutes,  then  she  suddenly  sat  up  straight  and  stared 
at  her  daughter. 

"It  is  a  thousand  times  worse  than  I  thought,"  she  said 
slowly.  "Although  your  father  told  me  a  great  deal 
about  the  evils  that  exist  in  business  places.  Why,  those 
men  are  criminals  and  nothing  less  !  They  are  destroying 
women's  souls  as  well  as  starving  their  bodies,  and  all  to 
swell  their  own  bank  accounts  and  ride  in  carriages.  Oh, 
it  is  shameful !  And  to  think  that  nothing  can  be  done 
to  stop  it." 

''But  something  must  be  done!  Something  shall  be 
done !"  cried  Faith  stoutly.  "There  is  one  power  alone 
that  can  conquer  all  evil.  We  must  invoke  that  power 
upon  this  dreadful  curse,  and  God  has  promised  that  the 
prayer  of  faith  shall  not  go  unanswered." 

"Oh,  child,  can  you  not  see  how  foolish  all  that  is?" 
asked  her  mother  irritably.  "As  if  prayer  was  needed 
for  what  God  can  see  for  Himself !  If  He  wished  things 
different  He  could  easily  change  them.  I  have  no  faith 
in  His  goodness,  His  love  or  His  mercy." 

The  tears  sprang  to  Faith's  eyes,  but  the  words  did 
not  surprise  her.  She  laid  them  to  the  weakness  of  her 
mother's  physical  condition. 

"Some  day  you  will  see  it  differently,  dear  little 
mother,"  she  said,  sweetly.  "You  are  still  resentful  for 
the  injury  which  you  have  suffered.  When  that  spirit 
has  been  conquered,  your  faith  will  return.  'All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  Him.' ' 

"Do  you  mean  that  your  dear  father's  death  was  in 
tended  for  my  good  ?"  her  mother  almost  screamed.  "Do 
you  see  mercy,  child,  in  such  cruel  injustice,  injustice  that 
allows  the  rich  to  prosper  in  their  evil  ways  and  puts  the 
knife  of  poverty  to  the  throat  of  the  deserving?  No!  a 
thousand  times  no!  I  will  not  believe  it!  Your  father 
was  an  honest  man  doing  a  legitimate  business.  Those 
sharks  opened  their  store  and  put  in  a  book  department. 
They  undercut  his  figures  even  when  it  was  a  loss  to  do 


44  The  Plea  of  Miss  Jennings. 

so,  knowing1  that  in  the  end  they  would  ruin  him  and 
drive  him  out  of  their  path  forever!  What  followed? 
You  know  only  too  well,  my  poor,  fatherless  daughter. 
In  a  fit  of  despondency  he  killed  himself;  the  man  who 
had  clone  no  wrong — except  to  lose  his  courage,  and  they, 
Denton,  Day  &  Co.,  have  accumulated  millions.  They 
have  his  blood  on  their  hands  as  they  have  the  blood  of 
many  others !" 

The  poor  woman  was  rocking  herself  back  and  forth  as 
she  talked,  while  Faith  could  only  bury  her  head  in  the 
sofa  pillows  and  pray  silently  for  wisdom. 

She  knew  that  the  frenzy  would  wear  away  soon.  Her 
mother's  strength  could  not  stand  the  strain  of  such  agony 
many  minutes. 

"I  can  understand  that  girl  stealing  the  jewelry,  Faith," 
she  went  on  more  calmly.  "It  was  a  terrible  thing  to  do, 
but  she  doubtless  justified  herself  in  doing  it.  And  the 
woman  who  is  going  from  bad  to  worse — oh,  she  has  my 
sympathy,  poor  wretch !  She  is  hopeless,  discouraged ; 
she  does  not  know  what  she  is  doing." 

Faith  got  up  silently  and  went  out  into  the  kitchen.  In. 
a  few  moments  she  came  back  with  a  cup  of  tea  for  her 
mother. 

In  a  second  her  action  had  reaped  its  results.  The 
mother  instinct  asserted  itself.  Mrs.  Marvin  suddenly 
remembered  that  Faith  had  had  no  supper. 

"I  am  to  have  a  visitor  soon,  mother,"  said  Faith  with 
a  smile,  while  her  mother  was  getting  the  supper.  "Miss 
Jennings  is  coming  in  later.  She  lives  only  two'  blocks 
from  the  corner." 

"She  is  a  consumptive,  I  think  you  said.  I  shall  be 
glad  to  see  her,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin,  "and  I'll  try,  Faith, 
to  calm  my  nerves,  and  not  force  my  bitterness  on  an 
other." 

Faith  smiled  very  sadly  at  her  mother's  words. 

"Miss  Jennings  is  far  more  bitter  than  you  can  ever 
be,  mother  dear,"  she  said  slowly.  "She  is  almost  cal 
lous,  while  you  are  still  smarting  with  anguish." 

For  the  next  half-hour  Faith  busied  herself  with  their 
frugal  supper.  Before  the  meal  was  over  she  was  pleased 
to  see  that  her  mother  was  becoming  more  composed  and 


The  Plea  of  Miss  Jennings.  45 

natural.  When  Miss  Jennings  came  in  both  ladies  greeted 
her  warmly.  There  was  a  hectic  glow  in  her  cheeks,  and 
she  coughed  almost  constantly. 

Mrs.  Marvin  left  the  two  girls  together  at  an  early 
hour.  She  had  kept  her  promise  and  been  remarkably 
cheerful. 

"Now,  Faith,  to  business,"  said  Miss  Jennings,  as  soon 
as  they  were  alone.  "I  want  to  tell  you  why  you  must 
not  report  that  clerk's  theft  to-morrow." 

Faith  drew  her  chair  a  little  nearer  and  prepared  to 
listen.  She  was  beginning  to  understand  her  friend's 
character  a  little  better. 

"In  the  first  place,"  began  Miss  Jennings,  "we  will 
consider  the  girl.  I  know  her  well.  You  need  not  de 
scribe  her.  What  I  know  about  her  is  this:  She  is  the 
daughter  of  a  criminal.  Her  father  was  a  pickpocket, 
he  died  in  prison.  Now  I  ask  you,  Faith,  what  can  you 
expect  from  this  girl?  According  to  your  Bible  are  not 
'the  iniquities'  of  the  fathers  visited  upon  the  children, 
and  are  the  innocents  to  blame  for  their  undesirable  in 
heritance?  Furthermore,  that  girl's  mother  was  what 
we  call*an  outcast.  Can  you  reasonably  look  for  morality 
of  any  sort  in  the  offspring  of  such  an  infamous  union? 
You  do  not  answer,  because  you  cannot!  I  defy  any 
of  your  Christians  to  straighten  out  this  mat 
ter.  The  viciousness  of  most  children  is  their  only  en 
dowment,  unless  we  add  the  poverty,  the  diseases  and  the 
hopelessness  that  go  with  it.  Now  to  consider  her  en 
vironments  and  her  temptations  in  that  store.  She  is 
working  for  thieves,  why  should  she  not  steal?  She  is 
working  for  successful  people,  why  should  she  not  take 
example  of  their  methods.  These  things  seem  harsh  and 
hard  to-  you,  Faith,  but  they  are  actual  facts,  just  as  you 
will  surely  see  them.  If  you  report  that  girl  what  will 
be  the  result?  Listen,  here  it  is,  the  outcome  in  a  nut 
shell.  You  will  be  reporting  to  robbers  that  they  are  be 
ing  robbed,  not  of  their  Jive's,  their  liberties  and  their 
honors,  as  they  rob  us,  but  of  a  paltry  piece  of  jewelry, 
which  they  have  bought  out  of  their  enormous  profits. 
You  will,  no  doubt,  lose  for  the  girl  a  position  which  has 
the  semblance  of  respectability,  and  like  poor  Kate  Tra- 


46  The  Plea  of  Miss  Jennings. 

vers,  she  will  go  from  bad  to  worse,  only,  unlike  Kate, 
she  will  have  no  pure  motive.  Then,  lastly,  to  consider 
your  own  position  in  the  matter,  from  that  standpoint 
which  you  choose  to  call  your  Christian  duty " 

She  stopped  to  cough,  and  Faith  broke  in  upon  her. 

"I  know  what  you  would  say.  You  think  by  reporting 
her  crime  I  will  only  be  driving  her  to  more  vicious 
depths,  whereas,  by  protecting  her  from  the  punishment 
she  deserves  I  may  be  able  to  influence  her  toward  a 
better  life.  Oh,  Mary,  I  thank  you !  You  have  shown  me 
my  error.  Say  no  more  to  me  to-night  about  censuring 
any  one  for  their  wrongdoing!  It  grows  more  wonder 
ful  every  moment  that  the  girls  are  as  good  as  they  are. 
God  help  them,  they  are  innocent!  It  is  all  the  fault  of 
conditions !  If  we  could  only  strike  at  the  root  of  it  all, 
Mary." 

"We  would  have  to  go  back  many  years  and  gener 
ations,  I'm  afraid,"  whispered  Miss  Jennings.  "But  at 
present  we  need  go  no  further  than  the  heads  of  that  firm 
— for  Denton,  Day  &  Forbes  are  the  roots  in  this  case, 
from  which  emanate  the  evils  which  are  destroying  us 
soul  and  body." 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  STARTLING  SUGGESTION. 

The  gossip  in  the  cloak-room  was  at  its  height  the  next 
morning  when  Faith  entered  promptly  at  half-past  seven. 
She  looked  around  for  Miss  Jennings,  but  did  not  see 
her.  The  next  moment  her  attention  was  attracted  by  a 
short  conversation  between  two  of  the  saleswomen. 

"Well,  Jack  Forbes  is  dead  at  last,  poor  fellow,"  said 
one  of  them,  "and  they  say  that  his  father  is  all  broke  up 
over  it.  Jack  was  his  ideal  always.  It's  sure  to  go  hard 
with  him." 

"He  deserves  his  trouble  if  ever  any  one  did,"  was  the 
indifferent  answer.  "He's  made  life  miserable  for  lots  of 
young  men  who  were  just  as  worthy  as  Jack  ever  was  and 
just  as  much  beloved  by  their  mothers  and  fathers." 

"Well,  he's  being  punished  now  all  right.  They  say 
he  looks  like  a  ghost.  Wonder  if  he'll  have  the  good 
taste  to  close  the  store !  Or  will  he  keep  open  that  day  to 
make  funeral  expenses?" 

There  was  a  shout  of  laughter  after  this  remark,  and 
Faith  was  surprised  to  see  how  many  of  the  girls  joined 
in  it. 

"Oh,  here  you  are,"  said  a  voice  at  her  side. 

She  turned  and  was  delighted  to  see  Miss  Jennings. 

"How  pale  you  look,  Mary !  Did  you  tire  yourself  too 
much  last  night?"  she  asked  quickly.  "Really  dear,  you 
should  have  stayed  at  home.  You  are  sick  abed  this  very 
minute !" 

"That  would  mean  a  dollar,  my  dear  Faith,"  said  Miss 
Jennings  sharply.  "Pve  lost  three  already  this  month 
so  far  and  as  I'm  liable  to  need  a  coffin  soon  I  must  keep 
at  work  and  earn  it !" 

"Don't,  Mary !"  cried  Faith,  in  genuine  distress.  "Don't 
joke  about  such  things,  dear.  I  can't  bear  to  hear  you." 

"As  well  laugh  as  cry,"  said  Miss  Jennings  shortly; 


48  A  Startling  Suggestion. 

"but  I  hear  that  Jack  Forbes  is  dead.  I'm  in  hopes  the 
firm  will  show  proper  decency  by  giving  us  a  holiday." 

"Oh,  they'll  do  that  all  right,  if  it  is  only  for  the  looks 
of  the  thing,"  cried  one  of  the  girls  who  had  overheard 
her.  "You  can  trust  them  to  keep  up  appearances  before 
the  public,  even  if  they  dock  us  a  day's  pay  in  order  to 
square  it." 

"They  would  never  do  that !"  cried  Faith  in  dismay. 

"They'd  do  it  if  they  dared,"  was  the  answer;  "they 
are  not  above  it." 

"There  is  Mr.  Gibson  now,"  whispered  another  girl  as 
the  form  of  the  manager  appeared  in  the  doorway. 

"The  store  will  be  closed  to-morrow,"  he  said,  shortly, 
"so  you  girls  want  to  be  smart  and  make  all  the  sales  you 
can  to-day.  Remember  that  you  are  expected  to  do  your 
best  in  such  emergencies." 

As  he  went  away  the  clerks  all  looked  at  each  other. 

"That  sounded  just  like  Forbes  himself,"  giggled  one 
of  the  girls.  "I'll  bet  ten  dollars  he  sent  down  that  mes- 
sage." 

"Well,  we  all  get  a  day  off  anyway,"  said  another, 
"and  for  my  part  I'm  glad  to  laugh  once  while  Old  Forbes 
is  crying.  The  shoe  is  on  the  other  foot  generally  and 
we  girls  do  the  weeping." 

"I  wonder  if  that  detective  will  annoy  me  to-day,"  whis 
pered  Faith  to  her  friend.  She  had  already  told  her  of  the 
proposition  which  Hardy  had  made  to  her. 

"I  wonder  who  the  fellow  is  who  has  got  his  eye  on 
you,"  said  Miss  Jennings,  soberly.  "It's  the  same  old 
story.  They  think  because  we  are  poor  that  we  are  to  be 
bought  and  sold  like  puppets.  You'd  be  surprised,  Faith, 
to  know  how  men  look  upon  us  girls,  but  never  mind  about 
it,  dear ;  Hardy  can't  do  anything  until  the  superintendent 
comes  back,  and  by  that  time  Mr.  Watkins  may  have 
found  the  money." 

"Who  is  Mr.  Watkins?"  asked  Faith,  who  had  quite 
forgotten  the  young  man. 

"He's  the  superintendent's  lackey,  but  they  call  him  an 
assistant."  said  Miss  Jennings,  with  a  slight  blush.  "He's 
a  remarkably  fine  young  man  who  would  be  honest  if  he 
could,  but,  poor  soul,  he's  like  the  rest  of  us — tied  hand 


A  Startling  Suggestion.  49 

and  foot !  If  he  expresses  an  honest  opinion,  out  he  goes 
into  the  street,  and  that  means  that  not  only  himself  but 
his  mother  would  starve." 

"I  remember  him  now,"  said  Faith ;  "he  was  in  the  su 
perintendent's  office  when  I  applied  for  my  position.  I 
liked  his  looks;  he  seemed  refined  and  honest.  I  wish  I 
could  help  him,  but .  Oh,  Mary,  what's  the  matter  ?" 

Miss  Jennings  had  suddenly  put  her  handkerchief  to 
her  lips.  When  she  took  it  down  there  were  blood  stains 
upon  it. 

"Nothing,  dear,"  she  said  as  soon  as  she  could  speak, 
"only  the  last  end  of  a  hemorrhage  that  I  had  this  morn 
ing/' 

"But  do  you  have  to  work  to-day?  Is  it  really  neces 
sary?"  urged  Faith. 

Miss  Jennings  turned  to  her  quickly  and  opened  her 
pocket-book.  There  were  seventeen  cents  and  a  small 
photograph  in  the  purse.  Faith  had  just  time  to  recog 
nize  the  picture  as  that  of  Mr.  Watkins  when  Miss  Jen 
nings  closed  the  book  with  a  flush  of  annoyance. 

"That's  all  LVe  got  to  last  out  the  week,  Faith,"  she  said 
between  her  coughs,  "and  I  have  a  crippled  brother  at 
home,  a  last  legacy  from  my  parents." 

She  hurried  up  the  stairs,  with  Faith  close  behind  her. 
In  five  minutes  the  work  of  the  day  had  begun;  goods 
were  being  taken  deftly  from  the  shelves  and  displayed 
upon  the  counters. 

Miss  Fairbanks  was  on  hand  and  as  cross  as  ever.  She 
went  around  like  a  virago  and  scolded  nearly  every  one  in 
her  department. 

When  Maggie  Brady  came  in  she  looked  weary  and 
jaded,  and  the  paint  on  her  face  made  her  more  conspicu 
ous  than  ever. 

During  a  lull  in  the  business  Faith  heard  her  speaking 
to  Miss  Fairbanks  in  a  tone  that  showed  plainly  that  she 
was  very  confidential  with  the  buyer. 

"Jhn  Denton  took  me  to  the  theatre  last  night  and  we 
had  an  elegant  supper  after.  It  cost  him,  a  pile,  I  tell 
you,  for  I  just  laid  myself  out  to  be  expensive.  It's  the 
only  way  I  have  of  getting  square  with  the  firm.  What 


5O  A  Startling  Suggestion. 

the  old  man  makes  his  son  blows  in ;  that's  right,  ain't  it, 
Fairbanks?"  she  winked  at  the  woman  as  she  finished. 

"Sure,"  replied  Miss  Fairbanks  in  a  lower  tone;  "but 
look  out  for  him,  Mag,  there's  a  new  star  in  the  heavens. 
I  wouldn't  trust  Jim  Denton  around  the  corner,  and  you 
wouldn't  either  if  you  were  wiser." 

"Oh,  I'm  not  afraid  of  that,  if  that's  what  you  mean," 
said  the  girl.  She  nodded  her  head  in  Faith's  direction, 
but  did  not  deign  to  look  at  her. 

"She's  a  beauty  all  right,"  was  the  buyer's  reply,  "and 
she  doesn't  have  to  improve  on  nature  a  little  bit,  eh, 
Maggie  ?" 

"She-won't  keep  that  color  long  in  this  store,"  sneered 
Miss  Brady.  "She'll  fade  like  all  the  rest  of  us,  and  it 
won't  take  long  either." 

"Miss  Fairbanks,"  gasped  Miss  Jennings  from  behind 
the  counter,  "I  can't  stand  up  any  longer.  You  will  have 
to  excuse  me." 

"Well,  you  do  look  sick,  so  I  suppose  you  can  go.  But 
as  it  is  only  ten  o'clock  I  shall  have  to  call  it  a  full  day, 
Miss  Jennings." 

"Call  it  anything  you  like,"  whispered  Miss  Jennings 
hoarsely ;  "only  let  me  lie  down,,  on  the  floor  or  any 
where." 

Faith  sprang  down  from  her  high  perch  without  an  in 
stant  of  hesitation. 

"Let  me  take  her  to  the  cloak-room,  please,  Miss  Fair 
banks,"  she  begged.  "Miss  Jennings  is  my  friend — do, 
please,  let  me  take  her." 

"Nonsense!  Get  back  to  your  desk  this  instant,  packer! 
If  she  is  too  sick  to  go  alone  one  of  the  cash  girls  can 
take  her.  Come,  ihurry  along;  there  are  customers 
coming." 

Faith  gave  a  despairing  sob  as  she  climbed  back  to  her 
seat.  Miss  Jennings  was  desperately  ill — she  was  sure 
of  it. 

Suddenly  it  occurred  to  her  what  a  really  brave  fellow 
Mr.  Watkins  was.  She  had  heard  Mr.  Forbes  tell  him 
to  have  Miss  Jennings  discharged,  yet  for  twosdays  he  had 
disregarded  the  order. 

That-  and  the  picture  of  the  young  man  in  Miss  Jen- 


A  Startling  Suggestion.  51 

nings'  purse  told  Faith  a  story  as  plain  as  words  could 
have  done.  The  two  were  lovers,  she  was  positive  of  it. 
she  began  to  wonder  if  Mr.  Watkins  knew  of  his  sweet 
heart's  condition. 

"Move  faster  there,  packer!"  called  Miss  Fairbanks 
crossly.  "Can't  you  see  the  lady  is  waiting  for  her  parcel 
while  you  are  loitering?" 

"Oh,  I  am  in  no  hurry  at  all,  madam,"  said  a  calm, 
lady-like"  voice.  "Do  not  hurry  the  poor  girl,  please. 
She  is  probably  tired." 

"She  has  no  right  to  be  tired  at  this  time  in  the  morn 
ing" — Miss  Fairbanks  was  trying  to  be  polite,  but  her 
voice  was  still  snappy. 

"Are  you  never  tired  at  this  hour?"  asked^he  lady, 
calmly.  "I  frequently  wake  tired,  and  from  no  especial 
reason.  In  this  case  I  should  think  it  surprising  if  she 
ever  felt  rested." 

"Oh,  they  get  used  to  it — we  all  do,"  said  Miss  Fair 
banks,  stammering.  "Or,  at  least,  we  must  do  our  work 
just  the  same.  We  are  not  supposed  to  have  feelings." 

"Pray,  tell  me  who  are  your  judges,  madam,?"  The 
lady  spoke  more  sharply.  "Who  dares  to  say  that  human 
beings  who  earn  their  living  have  no  feelings?" 

"Well,  if  they  don't  say  so  out  loud  that  is  what  they 
think,"  replied  the  buyer.  "Why,  we'd  be  discharged  be 
fore  night  if  we  were  to  complain  of  too  much  work. 
They  want  machines  in  these  stores,  and  we  are  the  near 
est  substitutes." 

"Well,  why  don't  you  all  rebel  and  force  your  employers 
to  think  differently?  Mind,  I  don't  tell  you  to  do  it.  I 
am  just  asking-  for  information." 

"It  would  do  no  good ;  we  would  simply  lose  our  places, 
and  for  each  one  of  us  there  would  be  ten  applicants  to 
morrow." 

Miss  Fairbanks  spoke  the  truth,  and  she  spoke  it  sadly. 

For  the  second  time  Faith  was  inclined  to  think  that 
the  woman  was  not  bad-hearted. 

"The  law  should  step  in  and  regulate  such  matters," 
•said  the  lady.  "So  much  authority  should  not  be  al 
lowed  to  a  few  human  beings.  A  few  arrests  for  man 
slaughter  would  not  be  amiss.  I  have  just  seen  one 


52  A  Startling  Suggestion. 

woman  who  is  being  killed  by  this  slavery,  and  there  are 
plenty  more  behind  these  counters." 

"But  no  jury  could  convict  our  employers,  if  that  is 
what  you  mean."  Miss  Fairbanks  was  gasping  over  the 
startling  suggestion. 

"I'm  not  so  sure,"  said  the  lady  thoughtfully.  "If  they 
could  see  what  I  have  just  seen  they  might  possibly  do  it. 
There  is  a  young  woman  dying  this  minute  down  in  that 
villainous  cloak-room." 

With  a  smothered  groan  Faith  sprang  swiftly  to  the 
floor. 

"It  is  Mary — my  friend,"  she  cried  out  in  agony.  "No, 
Miss  Fairbanks,  you  shall  not  stop  me !  I  will  go  to  Miss 
Jennings !" 


CHAPTER  XL 

A   DEATH    IN    THE    CLOAK-ROOM. 

When  Faith  reached  the  cloak-room  she  found  a  scene 
of  the  wildest  confusion.  A  number  of  clerks  and  cash 
girls  were  surrounding  Miss  Jennings,  who  lay  on  the 
floor  upon  a  pile  of  wraps  which  they  had  hurriedly 
thrown  down  for  her.  Mr.  Gibson,  the  manager,  was 
bending  over  her  with  a  glass  of  water  in  his  hand,  and 
was  giving  orders  right  and  left  in  an  excited  manner. 

"Go  for  a  doctor,  some  one !"  he  cried.  "No,  get  an 
ambulance — that  will  be  better!  The  officer  on  the  cor 
ner  will  call  one  for  you.  It  will  never  do  to  have  her  die 
here!  The  newspapers  would  all  get  it,  and  goodness 
only  knows  what  they  would  say  about  us." 

He  raised  his  head  as  he  spoke  and  found  himself  face 
to  face  with  the  new  packer  in  the  ribbon  department. 
She  was  as  white  as  chalk  and  her  eyes  were  flaming 
with  anger. 

"How  dare  you  send  her  to  a  hospital  when  she  is  so 
ill?"  she  whispered,  sharply.  "Get  a  physician  here  at 
once,  sir,  and  a  glass  of  wine  instead  of  water." 

She  pushed  her  way  through  the  group  of  frightened 
girls  and  looked  upon  her  friend,  whom  she  saw  at  once 
was  unconscious  from  weakness. 

"Stand  back  a  little,  girls,  and  give  her  air,"  she  cried, 
firmly  "There  is  none  too  much  ventilation  in  this  place, 
Mr.  Gibson ;  quick — lower  the  windows  if  you  can,  sir." 

Without  dreaming  of  disobeying,  Mr.  Gibson  sprang 
to  the  window.  There  was  something  so  commanding  in 
her  manner  that  she  fairly  over-awed  him.  The  next 
moment  he  had  dispatched  cash  girls  for  a  doctor  and 
some  wine,  even  taking  the  mioney  out  of  his  own  pocket 
to  pay  for  the  cordial. 

Faith  had  succeeded  in  clearing  a  circle  about  the 
fainting  girl,  .and  was  just  'looking  for  something  with 


54  A  Death  in  the  Cloak-room. 

which  to  fan  her,  when  two  people — a  man  and  a  woman 
— entered  the  door  of  the  cloak-room,  and  stopped  short 
when  they  saw  the  unusual  spectacle. 

"It  is  just  as  I  thought — she  is  dying,"  said  the  woman, 
softly. 

Faith  recognized  the  voice  at  once.  It  was  the  lady 
whom  she  had  just  left  talking  to  Miss  Fairbanks  at  the 
ribbon  counter. 

"You  see,  Mr.  Denton,  my  words  have  come  true !  You 
are  killing  these  young  women  by  overwork  and  bad  air, 
yet  you  dare  to  resent  any  interference  in  the  matter." 

Faith  was  kneeling  by  Miss  Jennings  now  and  had 
raised  her  head  to  her  lap.  There  was  a  quiver  of  the 
girl's  eyelids.  When  the  wine  came  at  last  she  was  able 
to  swallow  it. 

"This  is  dreadful !"  said  Mr.  Denton,  in  a  tone  of  genu 
ine  distress.  "Here,  Mr.  Gibson,  do  all  you  possibly  can 
for  that  young  woman,  and  for  Heaven's  sake,  try  to  keep 
this  out  of  the  newspapers." 

"Can  I  help  you,  dear?"  said  the  lady,  going  over  to 
where  Faith  sat  by  her  friend,  "or  am  I  merely  exhausting 
the  air  that  the  poor  child  should  be  breathing?  You 
were  a  brave  girl  to  come  to  her  rescue  as  you  did.  If 
any  trouble  results  from  it,  be  sure  and  let  me  know  it." 

She  dropped  her  card  into  Faith's  lap,  and  left  the  place 
with  Mr.  Denton. 

The  doctor  was  just  entering  and  there  was  no  spare 
room.  She  had  seen  at  a  glance  that  Faith  could  do  all 
that  was  needed.  * 

A  few  minutes  later  Miss  Jennings  opened  her  eyes. 
When  she  saw  Faith  bending  over  her  she  smiled  very 
happily. 

"You  are  better,  dear,  aren't  you  ?"  whispered  Faith,  as 
she  tried  to  return  the  smile. 

Miss  Jennings  shook  her  head  gently.  "I  am  satis 
fied,"  was  her  low  answer. 

"But  I  want  you  to  be  happy,  Mary,"  cried  Faith,  who 
saw  death  in  the  poor  girl's  face  "Look  up,  dear;  there 
is  One  who  loves  you.  Can  you  not  believe  it?" 

"I  trust  it  is  so,"  said  the  dying  girl,  faintly,  "I  have 
not  believed,  but  I  may  have  been  mistaken." 


A  Death  in  the  Cloak-room.  55 

"You  were  indeed,  Mary,  but  you  were  not  to  blame! 
Poor  child,  yours  has  been  a  sad  lot,  but  there  is  happi 
ness  coming." 

There  were  stifled  sobs  from  many  of  the  girls  who 
were  standing  in  frightened  groups  about  the  room.  The 
hush  upon  each  lip  spoke  only  too  plainly  of  death's 
presence. 

"Poor  Dick!"  sighed  Miss  Jennings.  "If  it  were  not 
for  Dick " 

Dick  was  the  crippled  brother  who  was  her  only  charge. 

"I  will  take  him  to  live  with  me,  Mary,"  whispered 
Faith,  nobly.  "My  mother  will  love  him  and  so  will  I — 
but  what  is  it,  dear?" 

Miss  Jennings  was  trying  to  say  something  more.  Her 
voice  was  so  low  that  only  Faith  could  hear  it. 

"Will  He  forgive  indifference,  rebellion,  distrust?" 

"Though  your  sins  are  as  scarlet,  He  shall  wash  them 
white,  dear  Mary.  As  we  forgive  our  enemies,  so  He  will 
forgive  us." 

The  dying  gy-1  raised  her  eyes.  Strangely  enough  their 
gaze  rested  upon  the  face  of  Mr.  Denton. 

He  had  come  back  to  the  scene  only  a  moment  before, 
and  for  perhaps  the  first  time  in  his  life,  pangs  of  remorse 
were  seizing  him. 

"I — forgive "  murmured  the  poor  girl,  still  gazing 

at  Mr.  Denton.  Her  eyes  closed  slowly  as  she  spoke. 

With  a  fearful  groan,  Mr.  Denton  fled  from  the  place. 

The  physician  had  done  what  he  could,  but  his  efforts 
were  useless.  Another  life  had  gone  out  at  the  very  dawn 
ing  of  its  day;  crushed  out  by  the  injustice  and  the  greed 
of  fellow-beings.  Faith  choked  back  her  sobs  as  well  as 
she  could,  and  looked  on  in  amazement  at  what  followed 
the  tragedy.  An  undertaker  was  called  and  placed  in 
charge  of  the  body,  and  the  utmost  concern  seemed  to-  be 
felt  about  all  the  arrangements,  especially  by  Mr.  Gibson, 
who  had  been  put  in  charge  of  the  matter  by  the  firm. 

Faith  would  not  have  understood  such  a  sudden 
"change  of  heart"  if  she  had  not  been  enlightened  by  one 
of  the  other  women. 

"They  know  it's  bound  to  get  into  the  papers,"  she 


56  'A  Death  in  the  Cloak-room. 

whispered,  "so  they  are  making-  a  big  bluff,  you  know. 
They  don't  really  care  about  Miss  Jennings/' 

Faith  put  on  her  hat  without  waiting  to  hear  more. 
Such  hypocrisy  as  this  completely  overcame  her. 

Miss  Fairbanks  was  not  consulted  regarding  her  move 
ments  now,  for  the  young  girl  quite  forgot  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  establishment.  As  quick  as  she  could 
she  started  to  go  up-town  in  search  of  the  humble  rooms 
where  she  knew  she  would  find  the  crippled  boy  whom 
she  had  taken  under  her  protection. 

As  she  left  the  store  a  young  man  joined  her.  She 
gave  a  sharp  glance  at  his  face.  It  was  Mr.  Watkins. 

Involuntarily  the  young  girl  extended  her  hand,  and  in 
that  sympathetic  clasp  both  knew  that  their  love  for  the 
dead  girl  was  mutual,  and  that  forever  after  between 
them  would  be  the  firmest  friendship. 

Mr.  Watkins  insisted  upon  accompanying  Faith  on  her 
errand  of  mercy,  and  as  he  seemed  to  need  her  tender  con 
solation  and  sympathy,  Faith  was  glad  to  allow  him  to 
share  her  mission. 

He  had  heard  of  his,  sweetheart's  death  only  through  the 
gossip  of  the  store,  so  Faith  told  him  of  Mary's  calm 
resignation,  and  her  belief  that  she  died  happy  in  the 
faith  of  a  true  Christian. 

The  crippled  boy,  Dick,  was  a  sweet  little  fellow  of  six 
years,  and  in  spite  of  the  added  expense,  Mrs.  Marvin 
was  glad  to  have  him  with  her.  He  would  give  her 
something  to  think  of,  she  said,  in  the  long  days  to  come, 
when  Faith  would  be  away  at  business.  She  set  about 
to  comfort  the  little  fellow  at  once. 

Faith  was  too  disturbed  to  go  back  to  the  store  that 
day,  and  as  it  was  to  be  closed  the  next  day  on  account  of 
the  funeral  of  young  Mr.  Forbes,  she  had  time  to  think 
over  the  outlook  for  the  future. 

"I  am  sure  Mr.  Denton  is  not  a  bad  man,  mother/'  she 
said,  as  they  sat  with  Mr.  Watkins  in  the  little  parlor. 
"His  face  showed  the  deepest  agony.  I  am  sure  he  has  a 
heart.  Oh,  if  only  I  could  reach  it,  perhaps  things  would 
be  different." 

"But  you  say  that  lady,  the  Government  Inspector,  was 


A  Death  in  the  Cloak-room.  57 

with  him  at  the  time.  His  distress  may  have  been 
feigned,"  answered  her  mother,  suspiciously. 

"I  don't  think  so,  mother,  for  there  were  tears  in  his 
eyes.  I  think  he  is  merely  neglectful.  He  leaves  the  con 
sideration  for  employees  entirely  to  his  partners." 

"Many  business  men  are  that  way,"  remarked  her 
mother,  after  a  minute.  "They  are  so  concerned  about 
their  financial  matters  that  they  ignore  what  is  more 
sacred — their  duty  toward  their  fellow-beings.  By  the 
way,  I  have  just  read  of  two  more  failures,  one  a  shoe 
store  and  the  other  a  grocery  store,  and  both  because  of 
the  department  store  evil !  How  can  small  dealers,  with 
only  a  few  hundred  dollars  behind  them,  expect  to  com 
pete  with  firms  whose  capitals  reach  the  millions?  They 
are  only  the  poor  little  fishes  in  the  sea,  while  the  depart 
ment  stores  are  sharks,  sharp-toothed  monsters  of  de 
struction  !" 

"I  have  heard  of  one  department  store  in  Philadelphia, 
I  think,  where  the  proprietor  gave  situations  to  a  lot  of 
men  after  he  had  bought  them  out  or  completely  ruined 
their  business.  That  is  better  than  nothing,"  said  Mr. 
Watkins  thoughtfully. 

"It  is  the  only  recompense  possible  in  such  an  unjust 
transaction." 

"They  do  not  think  it  unjust;  they  call  it  simply  'busi 
ness/  "  said  Faith  bitterly.  "The  one  who  sells  the  most 
goods  is  considered  the  smartest.  It  is  a  case  where  might 
makes  right — the  survival  of  the  fittest." 

"In  other  words,"  replied  Mrs.  Marvin,  "a  rich  cor 
poration  justifies  its  methods  on  the  grounds  that  it  has  a 
right  to  transact  business  on  a  scale  corresponding  to  its 
pecuniary  ability — there  is  no  question  of  morality  in 
volved.  Every  man  for  himself,  and  the  devil  take  the 
hindmost.  Yet  there  are  people  who  believe  that  there 
is  no  future  punishment  for  these  malefactors." 

"God  will  punish  them  according  to  His  judgment, 
mother.  It  may  be  here  and  it  may  be  hereafter.  We 
have  nothing  to  do  with  their  wrongdoing.  We  must 
suffer  and  be  brave — that  is  our  duty  and  our  mission." 

"And  do  you  see  no  injustice  in  that?"  cried  Mr.  Wat- 
kins  sharply. 


58  A  Death  in  the  Cloak-room. 

"Was  it  right  that  poor  Mary  should  be  born  to  poverty 
and  disease  and  wear  her  young  life  out  in  agony,  while 
so  many  of  the  wicked  are  flourishing?  Oh,  I  have  tried 
not  to  question  or  even  to  think,  but  the  promise  of  sal 
vation  grows  daily  more  dull  in  my  ears.  I  doubt  the 
mercy  of  God  and  I  cannot  help  it!" 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A    COMPLICATION    OF    TROUBLES. 

Faith  could  think  of  no  words  then  to  comfort  Mr.  Wat- 
kins.  His  grief  was  too  poignant.  She  changed  the 
subject 

When  he  left  the  house  to  go  home,  she  put  on  her  hat. 
There  was  something  she  wished  to  say  to  him  that  she 
could  not  say  before  her  mother.  There  was  an  errand  at 
the  grocery  that  gave  her  an  excuse,  and  as  the  hour  was 
not  late,  Faith  welcomed  the  opportunity. 

As  soon  as  they  were  in  the  street  she  told  him  her 
experience  with  the  store  detective  and  asked  his  advice 
in  case  she  should  be  annoyed  in  the  future. 

Before  the  words  were  fairly  out  of  her  mouth  she 
wished  she  had  not  spoken.  There  was  confusion  and 
shame  upon  her  companion's  face,  and  his  lips  trembled 
strangely  when  he  tried  to  answer  her. 

For  a  moment  Faith  could  hardly  believe  her  senses. 
She  stared  at  him  stupidly,  while  her  limbs  trembled  be 
neath  her. 

Instantly  a  suspicion  darted  through  her  brain.  She 
remembered  that  he,  too,  had  been  in  the  superintendent's 
office  that  evening,  and  that  it  was  possible,  even  probable, 
that  he  knew  something  about  the  money. 

"Oh,  Miss  Marvin,  this  is  dreadful !"  he  managed  to  say 
at  last.  "I  did  not  dream  that  they  would  settle  upon 
you !  I  thought,  that  is,  I  hoped,  that  they  had  dropped 
the  matter!" 

"Then  you  knew  of  it,"  said  Faith,  her  voice  sounding 
faint  and  far  away. 

"I  knew  it,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Watkins.  "In  fact,  I  was 
sent  by  Mr.  Forbes  to  stop  you,  but  you  had  gotten  out 
of  the'building." 

"Is  it  possible?" 

Faith  was  coming  back  to  her  senses  now. 


60  A  Complication  of  Troubles. 

• 

"Tell  me  all  you  know  of  the  matter,  Mr.  Watkins," 
she  said,  sternly,  "and  tell  me  the  exact  truth.  Don't  at 
tempt  to  hide  anything'!" 

Mr.  Watkins  controlled  himself  and  told  her  the  whole 
story — how  the  superintendent  had  suspected  her  of  steal 
ing  the  money  and  sent  to  have  her  brought  back  at  once 
and  had  been  disappointed. 

"An  hour  later,"  he  continued,  "he  got  a  telegram  from 
his  wife.  His  son  was  dying  and  he  had  to  go  home. 
Since  then  there  had  nothing  been  done  about  the  rob 
bery." 

Faith  drew  a  long  breath  after  the  young  man  finished. 

"So  appearances  are  against  me,"  she  said,  with  a  sigh. 
"I  am  at  the  mercy  of  a  rascal  like  that  detective,  Hardy." 

Mr.  Watkins  said  nothing,  but  he  was  as  pale  as  death. 
When  he  tried  to  comfort  her  the  words  nearly  choked 
him. 

Faith  saw  it  and  pitied  him  even  while  she  wondered. 
A  few  moments  later  she  bade  him  a  cordial  "good-night." 
If  there  was  any  suspicion  in  her  heart  it  did  not  show  in 
her  manner. 

She  was  walking  slowly  home  from  the  grocery, 
plunged  in  the  most  serious  thought,  when  a  well-dressed 
man  of  middle  age  appeared  suddenly  before  her. 

"I  beg  pardon,  miss,"  he  said,  raising  his  hat,  "but  I 
am  a  stranger  in  this  neighborhood  and  am  looking  for  a 
certain  number.  If  you  live  about  here  perhaps  you  will 
kindly  direct  me." 

"I  will,  with  pleasure,  sir.  What  number  do  you 
wish  ?"  asked  Faith. 

As  she  spoke  she  paused  directly  in  the  glare  of  a  gas 
lamp. 

As  the  light  fell  on  her  face  the  stranger  stopped 
abruptly. 

"By  Jove !  What  luck !"  he  cried,  gayly.  "The  very 
angel  I  was  thinking  of!" 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir!"  cried  Faith,  who  was  now 
thoroughly  frightened.  "If  you  wish  me  to  direct  you, 
state  the  number  that  you  seek  at  once !  I  am  not  in  the 
habit  of  being  addressed  by  strangers !"  , 


A  Complication  of  Troubles.  6l 

"My  dear  child,  don't  get  angry.  I  shall  not  harm 
you,"  said  the  man,  politely,  "but  you  surprised  me  out 
of  myself.  I  did  not  dream  of  meeting  you." 

As  Faith  still  stood  staring  at  him  he  continued,  speak 
ing  hurriedly,  and  his  manner  became  so  chivalrous  that 
the  young  girl  soon  accused  herself  mentally  of  rudeness. 

"You  see,  it  is  this  way,  miss.  I  was  thinking  of  the 
sweetest  little  girl  in  the  whole  big  world,  and  when  I 
saw  your  face  you  were  so  much  like  her  that  to  save  my 
soul  I  could  not  help  that  exclamation.  You  will  pardon 
me,  I  am  sure,  for  I  meant  no  harm  whatever !  I  am  old 
enough  to  be  your  father,  so  you  see  you  have  no  reason 
to  fear  me." 

"I  spoke  hastily,"  said  Faith,  slowly.  "I  had  no  wish 
to  be  rude,  but  you  must  admit  that  I  had  cause  to  feel  a 
little  startled." 

"You  did,  indeed,  and  I  apologize  humbly,  but  am  I  not 
right  in  thinking  that  I  have  seen  you  somewhere  before? 
Are  you  not  employed  in  the  department  store  of  Denton, 
Day  &  Co.?" 

Faith  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 

"I  have  worked  there  two  days,"  she  began,  a  little 
hastily. 

"And  I  have  seen  you  twice,"  replied  the  stranger, 
promptly.  "Your  face  is  a  sweet  one.  I  could  not  for 
get  it."" 

The  words  were  spoken  so  quietly  that  Faith  could  not 
resent  them.  She  was  moving  slowly  toward  her  home 
now,  feeling  a  little  bit  nervous. 

"That  is  a  dreadful  life  for  a  girl,"  went  on  the  man, 
very  quietly.  "It  is  agony  for- the  poor  things,  both  of 
mind  and  body !" 

"You  are  right,  sir,"  cried  Faith,  who  had  thought  in 
stantly  of  Miss  Jennings.  "The  shop  girls'  life  is  one  con 
tinuous  drudgery.  She  is  the  slave  of  circumstances  and 
the  victim  of  conditions." 

"I  am  surprised  that  so  many  enter  the  life.  There  are 
surely  other  vocations.  They  choose  the  hardest  one 
possible." 

"But  do  they  choose  ?"  asked  Faith,  who  had  become  in- 


6a  A  Complication  of  Troubles. 

terested  in  spite  of  herself.  "Are  they  not  driven  this 
way  or  that,  according  to  their  opportunities  ?  In  my  case 
there  was  no  choice.  I  had  tried  everything  else.  Hard 
as  it  is,  I  am  thankful  for  my  present  employment." 

The  man  looked  at  her  sharply.  There  was  genuine 
sympathy  in  his  face.  Almost  involuntarily  he  broke  out 
in  violent  sentences. 

"You  girls  are  to  blame  in  great  measure  for  all  this, 
and  where  the  fault  is  not  yours  it  lies  with  your  parents ! 
Instead  of  cultivating  your  graces  you  bedraggle  them 
with  labor !  Instead  of  marketing  your  smiles  you  trade 
in  blood  and  sinew !  Every  day  in  that  store  means  a 
year  off  of  your  life ;  every  anxious  moment  means  an  in 
road  into  your  rightful  happiness !  Why  will  you  not  see 
the  folly  of  your  ways?  Why  can  you  not  understand 
that  it  is  a  false  morality  which  is  killing  you?  Why,  if 
I  were  a  girl" — his  voice  had  dropped  to  the  most  per 
suasive  cadence — "I  should  value  my  beauty  too  highly 
to  hide  it  behind  a  counter,  and  my  subsistence  should  be 
the  boundless  reward  of  affection,  rather  than  the  nig 
gardly  recompense  for  wasted  tissues !  Of  course,  I 
shock  you,  because  you  have  done  no  thinking  for  your 
self.  A  lot  of  narrow  souled  ancestors  have  done  think 
ing  for  you.  They  have  brought  you  here  to  let  you  shift 
for  yourself,  but  woe  to  you  if  you  offend  one  of  their 
petty  notions  of  honor.  See,  child !  I  have  money,  I 
have  constant  ease.  Could  you  blame  me  for  offering  to 
share  it  with  youth  and  beauty?" 

As  he  breathed  these  words  he  gazed  at  Faith  eagerly. 
The  soul  in  the  man  had  vanished.  He  was  dangerously 
in  earnest. 

The  thrill  that  flowed  through  Faith's  veins  as  he  spoke 
was  not  of  fear,  for,  child  that  she  was,  she  understood 
his  meaning,  and  his  words  stirred  the  deepest  channels 
of  her  soul — she  was  more  grieved  than  shocked  at  the 
man's  distorted  reasoning. 

"You  are  all  wrong,"  she  said,  sadly.  "You  cannot 
understand !  There  are  some  things  more  precious  than 
gold  to  us,  more  precious  even  than  comfort  or  affection. 
Not  for  the  world  would  I  lose  this  'something'  which  I 


A  Complication  of  Troubles.  63 

possess !  It  is  the  haven  of  my  son!  at  the  hour  of  every 
trial.  It  is  the  one  solace  of  my  life  in  the  desperate  con 
dition  that  I  have  reached.  You,  a  man  of  years,  should 
not  argue  so  wrongfully.  It  is  wicked  U>  place  tempta 
tions  before  the  young  and  wretched." 

She  had  regained  her  composure  as  she  finished  speak 
ing,  and  a  tinge  of  righteous  indignation  made  her  voice 
vibrate  strangely. 

"Is  it  wrong  to  do  good?"  asked  the  man,  a  trifle  sul 
lenly.  "Surely  comfort,  ease,  health  are  the  best  a  man 
can  offer.  Nature  did  not  create  you  girls  for  a  life  of 
toil.  You  were  made  for  love,  for  homage  and  adoration. 
Yet  when  one  offers  you  these  you  turn  to  your  nameless 
'something'  and,  like  the  martyrs  of  old,  suffer  torture  and 
death  rather  than  accept  what  is  your  due.  It  is  incom 
prehensible,  truly !" 

"Hush !  Your  words  are  an  insult !  I  will  not  hear 
them.  It  is  true  that  my  knowledge  of  the  world  is  lim 
ited,  but  this  much  I  know :  the  God  of  righteousness  has 
placed  me  here  for  a  purpose,  and  that  purpose  is  not  to 
play  the  coward  in  time  of  trouble  or  to  prove  traitor  to  the 
highest,  holiest  instincts  which  permeate  my  being! 
Working  girl  I  am  and  may  always  be,  but  my  lot  is  a 
queen's  beside  wrhat  you  suggest !  God  pity  the  poor 
women  who  have  not  the  wisdom  to  see  it." 

She  was  standing  before  him  now  like  a  beautiful 
statue,  one  arm  uplifted  to  emphasize  her  utterances. 

"My  God!  You  are  superb!  Magnificent!"  muttered 
the  man  involuntarily.  "I  would  give  my  life  to  be 
worthy  of  such  a  woman !" 

Faith's  arm  dropped  suddenly,  and  she  drew  awray  with 
a  gasp.  There  was  a  look  in  the  man's  face  that  fright 
ened  her  for  a  moment. 

"You  have  taught  me  a  lesson,"  he  said,  almost  hoarsely. 
I  thank  you,  child,  and  I  bid  you  good-evening." 

"But  the  number,"  cried  Faith,  as  he  was  turning  away. 
"You  wished  me  to  direct  you  to  a  certain  number." 

"Never  mind  it  now.     I  can  find  it,"  was  the  answer. 

He  was  walking  swriftly  away  in  the  darkness  of  the 
street,  when  a  figure  approached  him  from  the  opposite 
direction. 


64  A  Complication  of  Troubles. 

The  two  met  directly  under  the  gas  lamp  where  Faith 
had  been  standing  a  moment  before,  and  as  they  met 
Faith  heard  a  sharp  exclamation. 

Her  sharp  eyes  recognized  the  newcomer  at  once.  It 
was  no  other  than  Bob  Hardy,  the  store  detective. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

A    HEAVENLY    INSPECTOR 

When  Faith  Marvin  reached  home  after  her  unpleas 
ant  interview  with  the  well-dressed  stranger,  she  was  in 
a  state  of  nervousness  that  nearly  bordered  upon  hys 
terics.  The  fact  that  Bob  Hardy  was  a  witness  to  what 
she  had  supposed  was  a  mere  accidental  meeting  gave  her 
an  instinctive  clue  to  the  identity  of  the  man,  and  her 
cheeks  flushed  with  shame  as  she  connected  him  in  her 
thoughts  with  that  insulting  proposition  of  the  detective. 

She  had  tried  to  compose  herself,  as  usual,  before  going 
into  her  mother's  presence,  and  succeeded  so  well  that 
when  they  retired  Mrs.  Marvin  had  no  suspicion  of  the 
interview.  Neither  did  Faith  acquaint  her  with  the  ex 
traordinary  suspicions  against  Mr.  Watkins,  which  she 
now  felt  ashamed  to  think  she  had  harbored  for  a  second: 

She  was  much  troubled  in  mind  about  the  latter,  for 
while  she  felt  in  her  heart  that  Mr.  Watkins  was  innocent 
she  could  not  help  thinking  that  he,  too,  was  shielding  a 
thief.  She  wondered  if  it  was  because  he  felt  the  same 
on  the  subject  as  had  his  sweetheart,  Miss  Jennings.  She 
said  her  prayers  quietly  and  felt  more  tranquil  after. 
There  was  a  balm  in  religion  for  her  trusting  heart, 
which  she  begged  with  all  her  soul  to  share  with  others. 

It  was  during  this  hour  that  she  thought  of  Mr.  Forbes, 
whom  she  knew  was  to  bury  his  only  son  on  the  morrow. 
Suddenly  the  thought  flitted  through  her  head  that  per 
haps  employees  were  somewhat  to  blame  for  not  express 
ing  more  sympathy  for  their  employers  in  all  serious 
matters. 

"Perhaps  they  think  us  as  heartless  as  we  think 
them,"  she  whispered  to  herself;  then  the  impulse  came 
over  her  to  write  Mr.  Forbes  a  letter. 

She  rose  quietly,  so  as  not  to  wake  her  mother,  and 
penned  him  the  note.  It  came  straight  from  her  heart. 


66  A  Heavenly  Inspector. 

She  told  him  she  was  sorry  for  his  sorrow.  Early  the 
next  morning  she  went  out  and  mailed  it.  Little  Dick 
went  with  her,  hobbling  along  on  clumsy  crutches.  The 
child  had  fallen  in  love  with  her  at  once,  and,  although 
he  often  cried  for  his  sister,  Faith  could  always  cheer 
him  and  change  his  tears  to  laughter. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  she  rode  down  to  the  under 
taker's.  She  had  not  become  reconciled  yet  to  parting 
with  Miss  Jennings. 

As  she  reached  the  door  two  women  were  just  leaving; 
they  were  Miss  Fairbanks,  the  buyer,  and  Maggie  Brady. 
Fafth  was  startled  for  a  minute,  for  she  could  not  under 
stand  their  interest.  Neither  one  of  them  had  ever  shown 
the  faintest  liking  for  the  dead  girl,  but  now  she  noticed 
with  surprise  that  they  had  both  been  crying.  ''Truly, 
every  cloud  has  a  silver  lining,"  she  murmured  to  herself, 
"and  who  knows  but  what  this  is  the  first  glimpse  of  the 
lining !  Oh,  I  do  hope  it  will  soon  show  itself  to  poor  Mr. 
Watkins." 

The  two  women  had  passed  her  with  a  mere  nod  of 
the  head.  She  opened  the  door  of  the  establishment  and 
confronted  Mr.  Watkins. 

"Oh,  what  is  it?"  she  cried,  involuntarily,  as  she  saw 
his  face.  "Don't,  dear  Mr.  Watkins;  don't  take  it  so 
badly." 

Mr.  Watkins  put  his  hand  on  her  arm  as  she  spoke. 
He  was  so  faint  and  weak  that  he  seemed  obliged  to  lean 
on  something. 

"I — I  have  explained  that  matter  about  the  money,"  he 
whispered,  hoarsely.  "Hardy  will  not  annoy  you  any 
longer.  The  thief  has  been  discovered." 

He  looked  so  wretched  that  the  tears  sprang  to  Faith's 
eyes. 

"I  am  glad  it  is  explained,"  she  answered,  hastily,  "but 
you  are  ill,  Mr.  Watkins.  You  should  go  home  this  min 
ute." 

"Home — home!"  repeated  Mr.  Watkins  in  a  vacant 
manner. 

Then  with  a  fearful  groan  of  agony  he  collapsed  com 
pletely.  As  he  fell  to  the  floor  several  of  the  undertaker's 
clerks  rushed  forward  and  lifted  him  up. 


A  Heavenly  Inspector.  67 

"Another  victim  of  conditions,  of  greed  and  avarice," 
said  a  voice  in  Faith's  ear. 

She  turned  quickly  and  recognized  Miss  Alma  Dean, 
the  woman  inspector,  whose  card  she  had  in  her  pocket. 

Without  waiting  for  Faith  to  answer,  the  lady  went  on 
speaking.  The  men  were  laying  Mr.  Watkins  on  a  sofa 
not  twenty  feet  away  from  the  body  of  his  dead  sweet 
heart. 

"That  poor  fellow  was  a  picture  of  health  two  years 
ago,  before  he  entered  the  employ  of  Denton,  Day  &  Co. 
I  know  his  mother  well ;  she  is  a  lovely  woman,  and  he  has 
a  younger  brother  who  is  also  in  that  store,  and  liable  to 
follow  in  this  poor  chap's  footsteps.  I  just  came  in  to 
look  at  that  poor  girl.  I  want  to  stamp  her  face  indelibly 
upon  my  memory.  Thank"  fortune  I  am  in  a  position  to 
remedy  some  of  the  evils  in  this  world.  As  Government 
Inspector  I  can  do  considerable,  but  I  must  learn  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  evil  before  I  am  fit  to  attack  it." 

Faith  listened  breathlessly  to  every  word.  The  pro 
prietor  of  the  place  was  also  listening,  and  as  she  fin 
ished  he  nodded  his  head  as  though  he  quite  agreed  with 
her. 

Mr.  Watkins  was  rapidly  reviving  under  the  kind  care 
bestowed  upon  him,  but  before  he  was  fairly  alive  to  his 
surroundings  Miss  Dean  took  Faith's  hand  and  led  her 
out  on  to  the  sidewalk. 

"They  will  take  him  home — they  are  very  kind  people," 
said  the  lady,  sadly,  "but  now,  dear,  you  and  I  are  con 
fronted  with  a  problem.  How  are  we  to  prevent  the  repe 
tition  of  this  horror?" 

As  Miss  Dean  asked  the  question  she  did  not  really 
seem  to  expect  an  answer  from  Faith ;  it  was  more  like 
a  spoken  expression  of  thoughts  that  were  vexing  her, 
made  to  one  whom  she  knew  was  thoroughly  sympathetic. 

"This  is  the  saddest  demonstration  of  injustice  that  I 
have  ever  witnessed,"  she  went  on,  slowly,  "yet  I  know 
it  is  mild  in  comparison  with  others.  It  lacks  the  hideous- 
ness  of  exposure,  so  far  as  you  see.  We  only  know  that 
one  more  crime  has  been  added  to  the  list,  yet  the 
details  of  that  crime  have  been  carefully  spared  us." 

Faith  knew  that  she  referred  to  poor  Mary's  death,  but 


68  A  Heavenly  Inspector. 

she  could  find  no  words  with  which  to  manifest  the  depth 
of  her  sorrow. 

"The  fear  of  the  law  is  our  only  hope,  I  guess,"  went  on 
Miss  Dean.  "They  must  be  forced  to  comply  with  cer 
tain  regulations.  Many  of  the  stores  are  doing  so,  undei 
no  compulsion  whatever,  but  these  people  seem  deaf  to 
everything  but  the  jingle  of  their  dollars." 

"But  the  law  cannot  change  their  hearts,"  muttered 
Faith,  at  last,  "so  the  cure  that  it  effects  must  of  necessity 
be  superficial.  Oh,  if  only  the  fear  of  the  Lord  could  be 
instilled  into  their  system.  If  they  could  only  be  made 
to  feel  that  to  Him  they  are  accountable!"  She  spoke 
with  enthusiasm,  her  eyes  and  cheeks  brightening. 

"You  are  a  good  ally,"  said  Miss  Dean,  watching  her, 
"but,  my  dear,  the  day  of  miracles  is  ended." 

"But  with  God  all  things  are  possible !  It  would  be  no 
miracle  for  Him !  I  did  not  mean  to  infer  that  I  or  any 
human  being  could  reach  their  hearts,  still  our  words  and 
our  prayers,  are  they  not  noble  weapons  ?" 

"I  am  not  so  sure,"  said  the  inspector,  gravely.  *'I 
think,  dear,  I  am  better  fitted  to  experiment  on  a  purely 
worldly  basis.  For  instance,  I  have  already  reported  the 
condition  of  that  cloak-room,  the  drainage,  ventilation  and 
unsuitable  location.  Then  I  have  mentioned  the  inade 
quate  fire  appliances  in  the  building  as  well  as  the  long 
hours  you  girls  are  obliged  to  stand  and  the  short  time 
which  you  are  allowed  fo<r  luncheon.  I  think  that  several 
of  these  matters  will  be  changed  at  once,  but  there  are 
others  which  will  take  longer  or  which  may  never  be  ac 
complished." 

"It  will  make  them  very  angry,  will  it  not,  when  they 
hear  of  your  report?  And  the  alterations  will  be  expen 
sive,  especially  when  it  conies  to  altering  the  cloak-room." 

"Oh,  well,  we  inspectors  cannot  worry  over  any  per 
sonal  feelings,  my  dear.  Our  duty  is  to  make  right  all 
wrung  conditions.  We  are  to  look  after  the  health  of 
people,  not  their  money.  The  only  question  is  how  to  do 
this  in  the  quickest  possible  manner." 

Faith  glanced  at  her  sharply.  She  was  a  handsome 
woman.  There  was  a  resolution  in  her  face  that  com 
manded  instant  admiration. 


A  Heavenly  Inspector.  69 

"I  am  glad  to  have  seen  you  to-day,"  Miss  Dean  said 
as  they  reached  the  corner.  "I  find  my  sympathies  are 
more  and  more  enlisted  through  acquaintance  with  you 
girls.  Why,  I  feel  that  I  would  like  your  employers  to 
spend  millions  in  making  your  labors  a  little  lighter." 

She  smiled  pleasantly  as  she  spoke  and  offered  Faith 
her  hand. 

"Good-by,  dear,"  she  said  brightly,  "there's  a  good  time 
coming." 

Faith  watched  her  as  she  boarded  a  car — she  was  so 
ambitious,  so  full  of  vigor  and  so  nobly  intentioned. 

"If  she  were  only  an  inspector  sent  from  God,  now," 
she  whispered,  then  a  tremor  shot  over  her  frame  at  such 
a  wonderful  suggestion. 

"Why  should  I  not  be  an  inspector  sent  from  God," 
she  murmured,  "to  seek  out  the  dark  places  and  let  in  the 
light  ?  If  it  is  only  a  candle  flame  it  will  help  a  little." 

She  turned  abstractedly,  almost  dazed  by  her  thoughts. 

The  next  instant  she  was  brought  almost  rudely  to  her 
senses.  Some  one  had  called  her  by  name.  She  turned 
and  faced  young  Denton. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

MR.     FORBES    TALKS    ON     RELIGION. 

About  two  hours  before  the  meeting  of  Faith  and  young 
Denton,  Duncan  Forbes  returned  from  burying  his  son, 
and  sat  down  disconsolately  in  the  library  of  his  handsome 
residence. 

Although  only  the  junior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Denton, 
Day  &  Co.,  still  his  interest,  together  with  his  salary  as 
superintendent  of  the  establishment,  brought  him  in  every 
year  a  princely  income. 

Then  there 'were  other  investments  of  a  varied  nature, 
all  of  which  had  proven  more  than  ordinarily  successful, 
yet  now  in  his  hour  of  sorrow  he  could  feel  no  atom  of 
thankfulness,  and  every  hour  of  his  busy  life  seemed  to 
him  to  have  been  wasted. 

As  he  sat  staring  at  the  fire  he  could  hardly  restrain 
his  feelings,  for  the  words  "God  will  punish  you"  were 
ringing  in  his  ears  even  more  clearly  now  than  when  he 
first  heard  them. 

He  tried  to  go  over  the  incidents  of  that  morning  when 
a  poor  applicant  in  his  office  had  wrought  such  havoc  with 
his  conscience. 

He  remembered  the  five  hundred  dollars  of  which  he 
had  been  robbed,  and  he  also  recalled  vaguely  the  con 
versation  he  had  with  a  woman  inspector  in  the  store  im 
mediately  after.  Then  came  the  message  regarding  his 
son's  condition,  then  the  death  chamber,  the  grave,  and 
now — desolation.  The  door  opened  softly  and  a  serv 
ant  entered.  She  bore  a  tray  upon  which  were  laid  a 
number  of  letters. 

After  she  had  gone  Mr.  Forbes  rose  and  looked  them 
over.  He  did  so  listlessly.  He  had  no  heart  for  busi 
ness. 

The  first  three  were  business  letters,  referred  to  him  by 


Mr.  Forbes  Talks  on  Religion.          71 

the  firm  with  a  brief  note,  stating  their  importance  as  an 
apology  for  the  intrusion. 

The  next  two  letters  were  letters  of  condolence  from 
members  of  his  church.  The  last  was  a  cheap  envelope, 
neatly  sealed  and  addressed  modestly.  . 

This  last  he  turned  over  and  over  between  his  fingers. 
There  was  a  vague  thought  in  his  brain  to  which  he  could 
give  neither  shape  nor  utterance. 

Could  it  be  possible?  He  asked  the  question  and  then 
sneered  in  answer.  The  thing  was  incredible,  that  he, 
Duncan  Forbes,  tyrant  and  slave-driver,  should  be  remem 
bered  by  his  victims,  yet  the  envelope  was  redolent  of 
sympathetic  surprises. 

He  tore  it  open  finally  and  glanced  at  the  words.  For 
just  a  moment  the  flame  of  appreciation  sprang  up  within 
him. 

The  note  was  from  Faith  Marvin,  the  new  packer  whom 
he  had  employed.  She  was  "sorry  for  him,"  she  said,  "in 
this  hour  of  his  affliction." 

He  laid  it  down  with  a  sigh  that  ended  in  a  groan.  His 
brow  darkened  as  he  looked  at  it.  He  was  aroused  and 
puzzled.  The  door  opened  .again  and  his  pastor  entered. 
He  came  unannounced  and  in  a  shrinking  manner. 

Mr.  Forbes  turned  toward  him  indifferently  and  held 
out  his  hand.  He  realized  th  «:  this  call  was  obligatory. 
He  had  been  paying  for  it  yearly. 

As  the  two  men  sat  down  the  minister  coughed  a  little, 
then  he  folded  his  hands  meekly — his  host  knew  what  was 
coming. 

"I  trust  that  you  have  become  reconciled  to  this  separa 
tion,  dear  Brother  Forbes,"  he  began  solemnly,  "and  that 
you  can  say  in  your  heart  'The  Lord  giveth  and  the  Lord 
taketh  away ;  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord.' ' 

Duncan  Forbes  did  not  answer  for  the  space  of  a  min 
ute,  during  which  time  his  pastor  watched  him  furtively 
from  under  his  eyebrows. 

"My  son  was  my  all,"  he  muttered  finally.  "It  is  for 
his  sake  alone  that  I  have  lived  and  labored— that  by  the 
sweat  of  my  brow  I  have  accumulated  my  fortune." 

The  minister  sighed  with  unaffected  sympathy. 


72  Mr.  Forbes  Talks  on  Religion. 

"Yet  God  in  His  mercy  has  taken  him  from  you.  He 
who  seeth  the  end  from  the  beginning  knew  what  was 
best,  dear  brother,  for  your  soul's  salvation." 

"But  of  what  use  is  my  life  now?"  questioned  Mr. 
Forbes  sharply.  "I  am  a  broken  reed  with  no  ambition 
to  lean  upon.  A  man  whose  heart  has  been  plucked  by  its 
roots  from  my  body.  Is  there  anything  in  our  religion 
which  can  solace  me,  do  you  think?  Is  there  a  recom 
pense  for  the  sufferings  of  a  heartbroken  father  ?" 

"There  is  balm  for  every  wound,  Brother  Forbes,  if  we 
seek  it.  Others  have  suffered  your  loss  and  been  able  to 
find  it." 

Duncan  Forbes  sat  back  in  his  chair  and  stared  straight 
before  him.  The  words  had  brought  to  his  mind  unpleas 
ant  visions. 

In  an  instant  he  was  back  in  his  store  again,  where 
scores  of  pale-faced,  hollow-eyed  youths  and  maidens 
were  moving  about.  They  all  had  mothers  and  fathers  or 
some  one  who  loved  them,  yet,  unlike  his  Jack,  they  were 
weighed  down  by  poverty,  the  millstone  of  disease  was 
about  their  necks,  and  he,  Duncan  Forbes,  was  relentlessly 
grinding  the  very  spirit  out  of  their  frail  bodies. 

He  shuddered  involuntarily  and  that  brought  him  back 
to  his  senses. 

"Religion !  what  is  it  ?"  he  asked  unpleasantly.  "Has 
it  any  practical  value  in  the  lives  of  mortals  ?  I  have  been 
a  church  member  for  forty  years,  paying  my  dues  in  ac 
cordance  with  the  terms  of  that  institution  and  shirking 
none  of  its  responsibilities.  Now,  at  the  hour  of  sorrow, 
T  find  myself  facing  my  grief  alone ;  there  is  no  power  in 
the  church  that  can  help  me  to  bear  it.  What  is  religion, 
I  say?  Is  it  a  mere  mummery  of  speech?  I  have  been 
religious  all  my  life ;  now  I  find  nothing  in  it !" 

"The  fault  is  in  yon,"  said  his  caller,  gravely. 

Roth  men  had  risen  and  stood  facing  each  other. 

"You  have  been  too  occupied  with  other  things,  brother 
— too  busy,  you  might  say,  with  worldly  matters  to  search 
for  the  spirit  that  pervades  what  you  call  'mummery.' 
Surely  in  your  love  for  Jack  you  appreciate  something  of 


Mr.  Forbes  Talks  on  Religion.  73 

the  love  of  Christ  for  man ;  in  your  dealings  with  men 
and  women  you  can  realize  His  interest  in  humanity,  and 
through  your  wealth  you  have  the  power  to  reap  a  harvest 
of  good,  yet  how  have  you  improved  these  opportunities  ?" 

Mr.  Forbes  looked  surprised,  as  well  he  might.  They 
were  the  first  words  of  a  personal  application  of  belief  that 
his  ears  had  listened  to  since  he  could  remember. 

"But  religion  has  no  part  in  worldly  affairs,"  he  said 
sullenly.  "To  be  born  for  heaven  is  to  be  lost  for  earth ; 
surely  we  should  take  each  condition  in  the  order  that  it 
comes — wealth,  position  first;  prayer  and  praise  hereafter; 
earth  for  the  body  and  heaven  for  the  soul ;  goods  and 
chattels  now,  faith  our  stock  in  trade  for  the  future.  This 
is  practical,  is  it  not?  This  is  good,  sound  reasoning. 
You  are  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  yet  you  can't  deny  it !" 

"I  can  and  do!"  cried  the  minister  bravely.  "A  belief 
that  does  not  shape  the  life  of  the  believer  is  not  religion ! 
Faith  that  does  not  light  the  path  of  the  present  is  not  the 
inspiration  of  Heaven!  The  Spirit  of  Christ  is  an  ever- 
present  reagent,  neutralizing  every  rancor  of  human  strife 
and  blending  all  grief  into  harmonious  concord.  Every 
human  act  should  be  weighed  in  the  balance  of  a  man's 
belief.  If  he  sacrifice  divine  faith  to  worldly  ambition,  he 
is  in  need  of  the  chastening  rod,  and  God  will  surely  pun 
ish  him !" 

"You  do  not  preach  that  from  your  pulpit,  Dr.  Villard," 
he  said  slowly,  "and  there  is  hardly  a  man  in  your  congre 
gation  who  does  not  need  it." 

Dr.  Villard's  thin  face  turned  to  a  sickly  pallor.  It  was 
a  just  retribution.  He  accepted  it  meekly. 

"We  ministers  are  but  human,"  he  began,  softly. 

There  was  a  rap  on  the  door.  It  came  as  a  welcome 
interruption. 

When  Mr.  Forbes  opened  the  door  he  saw  his  assistant, 
Mr.  Watkins.  The  young  man's  face  was  the  color  of  a 
corpse,  and  his  hollow  eyes  were  red  from  weeping. 

"I  must  see  you,  if  only  for  a  minute,  sir,"  he  said 
hastily,  then  as  he  caught  sight  of  the  visitor  a  flush 
spread  over  his  features. 

True  to  his  nature,  Duncan  Forbes  scowled  heavily  for 


74  Mr.  Forbes  Talks  on  Religion. 

a  moment.     He  would  have  sent  Mr.  Watkins  away  if  his 
guest  had  not  prevented  it. 

"As  you  would  be  done  by,  Brother  Forbes/'  he  whis 
pered  quickly. 

The  next  moment  he  was  gone  and  Mr.  Watkins  had 
entered. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A    PLAIN    TRUTH    FROM    MR.    WATKINS. 

Duncan  Forbes  roused  himself  to  hear  his  second  visi 
tor's  errand.  He  knew  that  it  must  be  something  impor 
tant,  yet  he  felt  bored  and  disinterested. 

Business  matters  were  far  from  his  thoughts  to-day, 
vet  for  forty  years  they  had  consumed  his  entire  attention. 

Mr.  Watkins  seemed  to  be  struggling  for  words— he 
looked  pained  and  embarrassed.  He  shifted  his  hat  from 
one  hand  to  the  other,  and  his  thin  face  reddened  and 
paled  alternately. 

For  the  first  time  in  his  life  Duncan  Forbes  looked 
upon  his  assistant  as  another  man's  son — the  loved  and 
loving  child  of  another  father.  It  was  a  queer  sensation ; 
he  could  not  get  used  to  it ;  then  came  a  memory  of  Jack, 
and  his  emotion  conquered  for  the  moment. 

"You  are  excited,  Watkins ;  sit  down,"  he  said  huskily. 
"Something  else  has  gone  wrong  at  the  store,  I  suppose. 
Well,  let  it  go;  it  can  wait  until  to-morrow." 

"No,  sir,  it  can't  wait!"  blurted  out  Mr.  Watkins. 
it  could  I  should  not  have  come,  knowing  as  I  did  of  your 
dreadful  sorrow!" 

Again  the  thrill  of  surprise  shook  the  man's  every  fi£>re. 
Another  o<f  his  victims  had  remembered  that  it  was  his  day 
of  grief,  and  the  very  tones  spoke  of  sympathy  for  his 
affliction. 

"Well,  then,  what  is  it?"  He  spoke  with  some  of  his 
old  sternness.  "Speak  out,  Watkins;  you  know  my 
habits.  I  always  expect  promptness  in  these  errands." 

"But  this  is  purely  personal,  sir!"  answered  Mr.  Wat- 
kins,  sadly.  "I  have  come  to  see  you  about  that  five  hun 
dred  dollars  that  was  taken  from  your  desk  last  Monday 
morning." 

"Wrhat  of  it?"  asked  Mr.  Forbes  with  much  of  his  old 
interest  returning.  He  had  been  too  long  a  slave  to  money 
to  loose  the  bondage  immediately. 


76       A  Plain  Truth  from  Mr.  Watkins. 

Mr.  Watkins  was  trembling  now  so  that  he  could  hardly 
speak.  In  his  weak  condition  of  health  the  recent  deluge 
of  trouble  was  telling  upon  him. 

'She  took  it,  I  suppose,  that  girl  that  I  employed  that 
morning,"  said  Mr.  Forbes,  trying  to  hurry  matters. 
"Has  anything  been  done  ?  I  told  Hardy  to  look  after  it." 
He  picked  up  Faith's  letter  again  and  glanced  at  it  ab 
sently.  When  he  saw  the  name  he  dropped  it  as  if  it  had 
stung  him. 

A  great  wave  of  color  purpled  his  heavy  face,  and  in 
stantly  he  was  the  same  old  tyrant,  raging  furiously  at  the 
creatures  whom  fate  had  made  his  victims. 

"See  here,  \Vatkins !  Here's  her  letter !  Can  you  be 
lieve  such  deceit !  She  not  only  cursed  me  that  morning 
with  her  religious  cant,  but  she  stole  my  money  as  well ; 
now  she  mocks  my  sorrow  with  a  letter  like  that— she  is 
'sorry'  for  me!  Do  you  hear,  Watkins?  She  is  'sorry!'  " 
The  great  veins  were  standing  out  like  cords  upon  his 
forehead,  and  he  began  pacing  the  floor  in  a  perfect  frenzy 
of  anger. 

"Tell  Hardy  to  arrest  her  and  have  her  locked  up  at 
once !  I'll  make  an  example  of  her  before  the  whole  store ! 
The  idea  of  her  daring  to  write  me  a  letter !" 

"But,  Mr.  Forbes,  please  listen !"  cried  Mr.  Watkins  at 
last.  This  injustice  to  Faith  had  brought  him  to  his 
senses.  "It  was  not  Miss  Marvin  who  stole  the  money! 
She  is  a  good  girl,  sir,  the  best  I  ever  knew,  and  she  is 
sorry  for  you,  sir;  if  she  wasn't  she  would  not  say  so!" 
But  the  money!"  roared  Mr.  Forbes.  "Who  took  the 
money?  If  it  wasn't  the  girl,  why  didn't  you  say  so?" 

I  couldn't,  sir,  at  first,  but  I  will  say  it  now ;  but  for 
pity's  sake  be  merciful,  sir.  The  thief  was  my  own  poor 
brother !" 

"What!  the  boy  who  tends  door?"  asked  Mr.  Forbes  in 
great  astonishment. 

"Yes,  sir;  poor  Sam  took  it!  He  stole  it  for  our 
mother!" 

Mr.  Forbes  stared  at  him  some  time  before  he  spoke 
again. 

"And  the  girl,"  he  asked  finally.  "Has  Hardy  been 
following  her?" 


A  Plain  Truth  from  Mr.  Watkins.        77 

"He  has  indeed,"  said  Mr.  Watkins  quickly,  "but  I  dare 
not  report  his  actions ;  I  have  no  proofs  to  offer.  Hardy 
would  doubtless  deny  all  that  she  could  say  of  him,  for  a 
girl  is  helpless  in  the  hands  of  a  villain  like  Hardy." 

"I  have  found  him  a  good  detective,"  said  Mr.  Forbes, 
slowly,  "but  if  you  knew  who  took  the  money  why  didn't 
you  tell  him?" 

"How  could  I,  sir?" 

Mr.  Watkins  had  begun  to  tremble  again. 

"The  knowledge  of  his  sin  is  already  killing  my  mother ; 
if  it  becomes  public  she  will  die.  I  was  waiting  for  you 
to  come  back  to  business." 

"Well,  the  boy  must  be  punished !"  said  Mr.  Forbes 
decidedly.  "I  cannot  be  accountable  for  what  may  fol 
low." 

"Do  you  mean  that  you  will  arrest  my  brother?"  cried 
Mr.  Watkins,  "when  you  know  that  by  doing  so  you  will 
blast  his  character  forever  and  drive  a  poor  woman  to 
her  grave  who  has  never  wronged  you  ?*" 

"The  boy  should  have  thought  of  that,"  answered  Mr. 
Forbes,  grimly.  "I  deal  with  my  employees,  not  with 
their  futures  or  their  mothers." 

"But  if  I  return  the  money!  See,  I  have  a  part  of  it 
here!" 

Mr.  \Vatkins  almost  cried  with  agony  as  he  held  out  two 
hundred  dollars. 

Mr.  Forbes  took  the  money  and  counted  it  carefully. 

"Let's  see,  Watkins,  your  salary  is  twelve  dollars  a 
week,"  he  said  slowly.  "If  I  deduct  five  dollars  a  week 
to  cover  the  balance  of  this,  it  will  be  just  sixty  weeks 
before  I  could  get  my  money." 

"If  I  could  only  find  the  rest,"  said  Mr.  Watkins,  groan 
ing  ;  "but  Sam  says  he  lost  it,  and  I  think  he  tells  the  truth. 
If  he  hadn't  lost  it  he  would  have  given  it  all  to  mother." 

Mr.  Forbes  was* drumming  lightly  on  a  table  by  his  side. 
It  was  evident  that  two  emotions  were  struggling  within 
him. 

"Here  is  the  evening  paper,  sir,'  said  a  maid  at  the  door. 

Mr.  Watkins  moved  automatically  and  handed  it  to  his 
employer. 


78        A  Plain  Truth  from  Mr.  Watkins. 

"Hey !  What  is  this !  A  death  at  our  store  yesterday, 
Watkins  ?" 

Mr.  Forbes  had  caught  sight  of  a  headline  half  across 
the  paper. 

Mr.  Watkins  bowed  ;  he  could  not  speak.  His  employer 
opened  the  paper  and  scanned  it  hastily. 

"Ah  !  That's  right !  That's  right  1  Gibson  is  a  clever 
man  !  He  makes  the  thing  sound  right  before  the  public ! 
Denton,  Day  &  Co.  will  pay  for  Miss  Jennings'  funeral, 
yet  they  say  there  is  no  heart,  soul  nor  conscience  in  a  big 
corporation !" 

He  almost  laughed  as  he  ran  his  eye  down  the  columns 
of  the  paper,  and  for  a  moment  his  manner  became  almost 
confidential. 

"That's  one  of  the  tricks  of  our  trade,  Watkins,"  he 
said  with  a  chuckle.  "We  cater  to  the  weaknesses  and 
foibles  of  the  public,  and  there's  nothing  that  appeals  to 
them  like  a  report  of  generosity.  Of  course,  they  never 
stop  to  think  that  the  poor  creatures  are  much  better  off 
dead  than  alive,  and  that  they  really  have  no  hold  on  the 
sympathies  of  others.  It's  a  fad  among  rich  people  to 
weep  over  the  poor!  Some  of  them  will  probably  send 
flowers  to  the  funeral  of  that  woman,  and  think  themselves 
angels  of  light  for  doing  it !  I  tell  you,  religion  is  a  trade 
mark  in  all  lines  of  business,  and  I've  decided  in  the  last 
few  days  that  that's  about  all  it's  good  for !" 

He  laid  the  paper  down  with  a  smile  of  satisfaction, 
then  turned  toward  Mr.  Watkins  to  resume  the  former 
conversation. 

But  a  look  at  the  young  man's  face  checked  the  words 
upon  his  lips.  The  scorn  in  those  hollow  eyes  burned 
even  through  his  callous  nature. 

For  a  moment  he  saw  himself  much  as  his  assistant  saw 
him,  a  man  whose  greed  of  gold  never  reached  its  limit, 
even  though  lives  were  sacrificed  in  his  service. 

He  could  not  speak  although  he  tried  to  repeatedly,  for 
the  glare  of  his  assistant's  eye  transfixed  him  like  a  mag 
net. 

With  one  hand  upon  the  door,  Mr.  Watkins  paused  to 
answer: 


A  Plain  Truth  from  Mr.  Watkins.         79 

"The  papers  don't  know  it  all,  Mr.  Forbes,"  he  whis 
pered  shrilly ;  "or,  if  they  do,  they  don't  dare  to  tell  what 
they  know.  If  they  did  they  would  add  that  it  was  the 
least  you  could  do— to  pay  for  her  funeral  after  your  firm 
has  killed  her!" 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
FAITH'S  TALK  WITH  YOUNG  DENTOK. 

"Miss  Marvin,  I  beg  that  you  will  excuse  this  intru 
sion,"  said  James  Denton  as  he  joined  her  on  the  street 
after  her  call  at  the  undertaker's,  "but  there  is  something 
I  wish  very  particularly  to  say  to  you ;  it  is  something  re 
garding  that  poor  girl,  Miss  Jennings." 

He  had  raised  his  hat  politely  and  stood  regarding  the 
young  girl  in  a  most  courteous  manner.  As  Faith  studied 
his  face  she  could  see  that  he  meant  no  disrespect,  but 
was  painfully  in  earnest. 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  anything  that  you  have  to  say 
about  poor  Mary,"  she  answered  sadly,  "for  she  was  my 
very  dear  friend,  although  our  acquaintance  was  a  brief 
one.0 

"Let  us  walk  a  little,  Miss  Marvin,  please.  I  can  talk 
better  when  I'm  walking.  The  fact  is,  I'm  horribly  upset, 
and  I  don't  know  why  I  should  be,  either." 

Faith  looked  at  him  sharply.  He  had  removed  his  hat 
again  and  was  passing  his  hand  over  his  brow  in  a 
thoughtful  manner. 

She  discovered  in  that  glance  that  he  was  a  remarkably 
handsome  fellow,  for  youth,  even  in  its  hour  of  sorrow, 
cannot  help  being  attracted  to  all  that  is  gracious  and 
beautiful. 

His  eyes  would  have  been  fine  had  their  glance  been  a 
little  more  steady,  but  he  shifted  his  gaze  constantly,  like 
one  who  possesses  an  undecided  nature. 

'What  I  have  to  say  is  this,"  he  began  very  bluntly.  "I 
think  the  firm  should  arrange  to  let  all  you  girls  attend 
the  funeral  of  Miss  Jennings,  and  I  don't  exactly  know 
how  to  go  to  work  to  get  them  to  do  it." 

'Oh,  what  a  lovely  idea!"  exclaimed  Faith,  impulsively, 
and  it  is  so  kind  of  you  think  of  it,  Mr.  Denton,"  she 
added. 


Faith's  Talk  With  Young  Denton.       81 

The  young  man  blushed  a  little  at  her  enthusiastic 
words,  but  went  on  talking  as  calmly  as  possible. 

"I've  been  doing  a  little  thinking  since  Miss  Jennings 
died ;  I  don't  know  why,  for  the  death  of  a  clerk  doesn't 
usually  affect  me." 

"Perhaps  it  was  because  it  occurred  in  the  store/'  sug 
gested  Faith,  gently.  "You  have  probably  not  known  the 
details  of  any  other  such  sad  occurrence." 

"That  is  doubtless  it,"  said  Mr.  Denton  promptly,  "but 
another  thing  is  this :  I  knew  Mr.  Watkins  before  he  went 
to  work  for  my  father.  His  folks  used  to  be  rich,  you 
know,  and  Fred  was  always  a  good  fellow.  He  was  in 
love  with  the  girl,  and  I  can't  help  feeling  sorry  for  him, 
though,  as  I  said  before,  I  don't  quite  understand  why 
I'm  interested." 

"Poor  fellow!  He  needs  all  our  sympathy,"  cried 
Faith.  "He  is  lying  at  the  undertaker's  now  in  a  terrible 
condition !" 

"Is  that  so !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Denton.  "Why,  I  met  him 
not  more  than  an  hour  ago;  he  was  just  coming  from 
Mr.  Forbes,  the  superintendent.  His  face  was  positively 
ghastly  when  I  saw  him.  No  doubt  old  Forbes  had  been 
giving  him  the  devil!" 

"Surely  not  at  this  time !"  cried  Faith  in  dismay.  "He 
could  not  be  so  cruel — so  utterly  heartless  !" 

"Forbes  has  no  heart ;  he  is  a  machine !"  said  young 
Denton.  "He  is  simply  a  human  octopus  for  pulling  in 
money.  Not  that  I  object  to  money,"  he  added,  with  a 
laugh,  "but  I  hate  to  see  men  make  it  through  such  in 
human  methods !" 

Faith  was  utterly  astonished  at  the  young  man's  words. 
She  had  been  led  to  believe  that  he  was  a  thoroughly  un 
scrupulous  person,  but  here  he  was  expressing  her  own 
sentiments  exactly. 

„  In  an  instant  the  young  man  noticed  her  look  of  sur 
prise. 

"You  are  puzzled,"  he  said  quickly.  "You  thought  I 
was  nothing  but  a  brainless  young  scamp !  No  doubt  you 
have  heard  my  character  from  the  girls  in  your  depart 
ment!" 

"Oh,  no !"  said  Faith  quickly.     "I  have  not  heard  that, 


82       Faith's  Talk  With  Young  Denton. 

indeed  !  But  you  will  pardon  me,  Mr.  Den-ton,  I  did  think 
you  were  unprincipled,  else  why  should  you  come  in  the 
store  and  try  to  make  fools  of  all  the  young  women  ?" 

"Not  all  of  them,  only  the  prettiest!"  laughed  young 
Denton,  gayly.  "Surely  a  man  can  flirt  a  little  without 
doing  any  harm,  and  the  girls  all  like  it — why  shouldn't 
they,  Miss  Marvin?" 

"But  do  you  ever  think  what  this  flirting  means?"  per 
sisted  Faith,  who  had  lost  all  her  timidity  and  was  plung 
ing  into  the  subject  in  earnest. 

"It  means  a  good  time  and  a  lot  of  money  spent,"  said 
the  young  fellow,  still  laughing.  "But  why  not  spend  it 
on  the  girls  ?  Don't  they  help  the  governor  to  make  it  ?" 

"Oh,  Mr.  Denton!"  cried  Faith,  who  was  now  thor 
oughly  shocked.  "Is  it  possible  that  you  are  speaking 
now  of  your  own  father?" 

"I  certainly  was,"  was  the  unabashed  answer.  "I  did 
not  mean  to  be  disrespectful ;  that  is  only  a  habit." 

"A  very  bad  habit,"  said  Faith,  reprovingly,  "but  to  re 
turn  to  the  subject  of  poor  Mary's  funerr.l.  Do  you  think 
if  we  asked  for  a  day  we  would  get  it?  You  know,  the 
store  is  closed  to-day ;  they  might  not  like  to  lose  another." 

"Of  course,  they  wouldn't  like  it,  but  that  don't  make 
any  difference,"  said  young  Denton,  grandly.  "What 
was  Jack  Forbes's  funeral  to  you  clerks,  anyway?  The 
closing  to-day  was  only  a  bluff — one  of  the  bluffs  that  all 
stores  put  up  to  keep  the  good  opinion  of  the  public. 
Now,  this  affair  is  entirely  different.  This  girl  was  one 
of  you,  and  you  ought  to  be  allowed  to  attend  her 
funeral !" 

"Have  you  spoken  to  your  father?"  asked  Faith,  after 
a  minute. 

"Not  yet,  but  I'm  going  to.  Now  this  is  my  plan :  You 
get  up  a  petition  and  get  the  clerks  to  sign  it  and  then  you 
go  yourself  to  old  Forbes  to-morrow.  He'll  be  worse 
than  a  brute  if  he  dares  to  refuse  you!  Meanwhile  I'll 
see  my  father  at  home  to-night.  He's  a  little  soft  on  me 
yet,  even  if  he  is  a  hard-headed  old  sinner !" 

"Oh,  Mr.  Denton,  don't  say  such  things !"  cried  Faith, 
"I  will  never  talk  to  you  again  if  you  persist  in  speaking 
so  of  your  father!" 


Faith's  Talk  With  Young  Denton.        83 

The  young  man  threw  back  his  head  and  had  a  hearty 
laugh. 

"You're  the  most  innocent  little  kitten  I  ever  saw,"  he 
said  softly ;  "it's  a  deuced  shame  that  you  have  to  work 
for  a  living !" 

Faith's  eyes  blazed  angrily  before  he  had  hardly  spoken 
the  words. 

"I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  earn  my  living!"  she  said 
sternly;  "it  is  ever  so  much  nobler  than  to  be  living  on 
one's  parents !" 

The  flush  that  mantled  the  young  man's  brow  showed 
that  her  words  had  struck  home,  but  he  tried  to  turn  it  off 
with  a  neatly  put  compliment. 

"I'm  a  sad  beggar,  I  know,  Miss  Marvin,  but  I'm  going 
to  reform !  I  never  wanted  to  be  different  until,  well, 
until  now — to  be  honest." 

"You  are  not  serious,  Mr.  Denton;  I  see  laughter  in 
"your  eyes,"  said  Faith,  smiling.  "But  I  will  get  up  the 
petition  at  once,  as  you  suggest,  and  I  shall  pray  that  our 
appeal  may  not  be  in  vain." 

She  had  paused  at  a  street  corner  and  was  extending 
her  hand  to  say  good-by  to  the  young  man  when  a  woman 
passed  them  and  jostled  Faith  rudely. 

Tt  was  Maggie  Brady,  the  girl  who  loved  Jim  Denton. 
As  she  faced  them  for  a  second  both  saw  that  her  eyes 
gleamed  dangerously.  Without  even  stopping  she  made 
a  remark  to  Faith — the  words  were  hissed  between  her 
teeth  with  the  venom  of  a  serpent. 

"You'll  be  sorry  for  this,  you  little  hypocrite!  I 
thought  you  were  too  pious  to  be  altogether  healthy !" 

Faith  turned  as  pale  as  death  as  the  woman  strode  on; 
James  Denton  was  smiling  in  a  half-hearted  manner. 

"That  is  the  result  of  your  flirting,"  Faith  managed  to 
say  at  last.  "Oh,  Mr.  Denton,  can't  you  see  what  you've 
done?  You've  made  that  woman  love  you,  and  now  she 
is  going  straight  to  destruction !" 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  PARTNERS  DO  A  LITTLE  TALKING. 

Mr.  Forbes  was  at  his  office  in  the  store  early  the  next 
morning  after  his  interview  with  Mr.  Watkins.  He 
would  have  been  glad  to  stay  away  for  another  day,  but 
there  were  many  details  of  the  business  that  needed  his 
attention.  Sam  Watkins,  his  office  boy,  was  not  waiting 
for  him  as  usual,  but  Mr.  Forbes  was  confident  that  he 
could  find  him  when  he  wanted  him.  He  looked  around 
for  his  assistant,  but  he  was  absent  also.  This  fact  was 
more  annoying,  because  it  aroused  his  suspicions. 

"Bolted !"  he  muttered  with  an  angry  frown.  "Ten  to 
one  he's  run  away  and  I'll  never  get  my  money.'' 

Then  he  smiled  a  little,  for  he  knew  that  Watkins  had 
no  funds  with  which  to  make  his  escape,  but  even  if  he 
had  there  were  many  ways  of  catching  him. 

As  he  seated  himself  at  his  desk  both  of  his  partners 
entered,  and  there  were  expressions  of  condolence  offered 
in  a  punctilious  manner. 

"Sometimes  I  think  that  we  fathers  are  all  wrong,"  re 
marked  Mr.  Denton,  after  the  condolences  were  over. 
"We  bind  ourselves  hand  and  foot  in  the  bondage  of 
business,  and  all  for  what — our  wives  and  children!  If 
they  needed  such  a  sacrifice  we  would  not  begrudge  it, 
but  the  more  they  have  the  more  they  want,  until  the  he^d 
of  the  family  is  a  mere  automaton — a  machine  to  pamper 
useless  folly." 

This  was  a  lengthy  speech  for  the  senior  partner  to 
make,  as  he  was  naturally  a  reticent  man,  who  allowed 
others  to  do  the  talking. 

"You  may  be  right,"  remarked  Mr.  Day  pompously, 
"still,  you  must  admit  that  wealth  brings  advantages  even 
to  us  who  slave — we  can  drop  business  cares  and  go 
abroad  now  and  then — our  time  is  our  own  beyond  a  cer 
tain  figure." 


The  Partners  Do  a  Little  Talking.        85 

"I  have  never  reached  that  figure,"  said  Mr.  Forbes, 
very  dryly,  "and  further,  when  I  drop  the  reins  the  horses 
run  wild,  for  be  as  careful  as  you  may  in  the  choice  of 
employees  there  is  never  one  who  will  not  take  advantage 
of  your  absence — the  exceptions  are  so  rare  that  they  are 
scarcely  worth  mentioning." 

"Well,  I  for  one  am  getting  discouraged,"  said  Mr. 
Denton.  "There's  that  boy  of  mine,  Jim  ;  how  is  he  repay 
ing  my  efforts  ?" 

There  was  no  answer  to  his  question,  but  he  did  not 
expect  one.  After  a  moment's  silence  he  finished  his  ob 
servations. 

"If  that  boy  had  a  million  he  would  spend  it  in  a  month, 
yet  no  one  has  ever  yet  accused  him  of  being  vicious.  I've 
set  him  up  in  business  and  everything  else — he's  had 
money  and  an  example,  but  with  it  all,  what  is  he  ?" 

"Perhaps  you  are  not  strict  enough,"  suggested  Mr. 
Day,  who  was  thanking  his  stars  at  that  moment  that  he 
had  no  children. 

"It  will  take  something  besides  discipline  to  make  a 
man  of  Jim." 

Mr.  Denton  sighed  as  if  he  was  very  unhappy. 

"Oh,  hell  marry  and  settle  down  some  day,"  said  Mr. 
Day,  laughing.  "When  he  has  a  family  to  support  he'll 
take  life  more  seriously." 

"I  wish  he  had  one,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  speaking  quickly, 
"but  I  hope  he'll  marry  a  working  girl  and  not  a  'society 
lady.' " 

Both  of  his  partners  looked  up  in  unfeigned  surprise, 
but  it  was  evident  that  the  words  had  been  said  delib 
erately. 

"There's  a  girl,  a  packer,  down  in  the  ribbon  depart 
ment.  I've  only  seen  her  once,  but  she's  a  perfect  beauty. 
That's  the  kind  of  a  girl  that  would  make  a  good  wife ; 
she's  not  afraid  of  work  and  she's  honestly  religious." 

Mr.  Forbes  and  Mr.  Day  were  almost  gasping  now, 
but  Mr.  Denton  went  right  on  as  though  his  words  were 
not  extraordinary. 

"When  that  Miss  Jennings  died  this  girl  held  her  in 
her  arms.  She's  not  over* seventeen,  yet  death  did  not 
even  frighten  her.  In  that  poor  girl's  last  hour  she  was 


86       The  Partners  Do  a  Little  Talking. 

her  only  comfort,  and  if  I  ever  saw  an  angel  I  saw  one 
at  that  moment." 

,  Some  one  tapped  on  the  door,  but  no  one  rose  to  open 
it.  Mr.  Denton  waited  a  moment  and  then  went  on  with 
his  subject. 

"I  don't  remember  how  I  happened  to  be  in  the  base 
ment  that  day.  Oh,  yes,  I  do.  Mr.  Forbes  was  away, 
and  Mr.  Gibson  sent  for  me.  I  was  waylaid  on  the  first 
floor  by  one  of  those  Government  Inspectors ;  she  went 
with  me  to  the  cloak-room.  I  simply  couldn't  stop  her! 
When  I  got  there  that  girl,  Miss  Jennings,  was  dying, 
and  what  do  you  think,  with  her  very  last  breath  she 
looked  me  in  the  face,  and  said  she  'forgave'  me." 

"What!" 

Mr.  Day  leaned  forward  with  astonishment  on  his  fea 
tures. 

Mr.  Forbes  half  arose  from  his  chair,  and  then  fell  back 
heavily. 

Before  he  spoke  again  Mr.  Denton  began  pacing  the 
office  floor.  He  was  becoming  more  and  more  disturbed 
as  he  continued  his  recital. 

"They  tell  me  that  girl  has  been  with  us  six  years,  and 
that  she  has  never  lost  a  day  except  from  sickness.  She 
was  a  consumptive  always — inherited  it  from  her  mother 
— but  in  spite  of  it,  she  had  to  work  to  support  herself  and 
a  brother.  She  was  getting  ten  dollars  a  week  at  the 
time  she  died,  yet  the  cashier  tells  me  that  her  checks  for 
one  hour  alone  have  frequently  amounted  to  twenty  dol 
lars.  I  tell  you,  this  bit  of  information  has  set  me  to 
thinking,  and  the  outcome  of  my  thoughts  is  a  simple 
question:  'Are  we  men  or  brutes?'  That  is  what  I  want 
to  know,  and  as  it  concerns  you  two  as  well  as  me,  I'm 
going  to  ask  you  to  answer  it !" 

There  was  the  silence  of  death  in  the  superintendent's 
office.  Even  Mr.  Denton  stood  perfectly  still  as  he  asked 
his  question. 

Suddenly  Mr.  Day  raised  his  head  with  a  little  jerk. 
His  cheeks  became  inflated  as  he  tried  to  assume  his  usual 
bearing. 

"It  is  possible  we  have  been  a  little  thoughtless,"  he 


The  Partners  Do  a  Little  Talking.       87 

said  sweetly,  "but  our  subordinates  should  attend  to  these 
matters ;  that  is  what  they  are  paid  for." 

Mr.  Forbes  wheeled  around  in  his  chair  and  faced  the 
speaker. 

'k[  have  hired  no  subordinates  on  that  basis,"  he  said 
distinctly.  "My  orders  have  been  to  get  all  the  work  pos 
sible  out  of  a  clerk,  and  when  they  were  incompetent  or 
in  any  way  useless,  turn  them  out  and  get  new  ones,  and 
I  believe  that  I  have  acted  with  the  full  consent  of  my 
partners." 

Mr.  Day  looked  crestfallen  for  about  a  minute. 

"Oh,  if  you  put  it  that  way,  why,  of  course,  Mr.  Forbes. 
We  could  not  expect  to  sell  our  goods  with  a  lot  of  dumr 
mies  behind  our  counters." 

"We've  had  worse  than  'dummies,'  "  spoke  up  Mr.  Den- 
ton.  "We've  had  skeletons  and  lunatics  and  almost 
corpses !  Just  go  down  and  look  at  them,  men,  women 
and  children!  There's  not  ten  healthy  human  beings  on 
any  floor  in  the  building;  yet  they  came  to  us,  many  of 
them,  glowing  with  health,  like  Miss  Marvin." 

"Are  they  worse  than  at  other  stores  ?"  asked  Mr.  Day, 
sullenly, 

"'I  don't  know,"  was  the  answer ;  "but  that  doesn't  mat 
ter." 

"They  get  their  pay  regularly,"  said  Mr.  Forbes.  "Fur 
ther,  we  do  not  solicit  their  services,  nor  compel  them  to 
stay  with  us." 

"No ;  we  merely  take  advantage  of  their  wretched  con 
ditions  to  secure  their  services  cheap,"  said  Mr.  Denton 
bitterly ;  "then  instead  of  bettering  their  lot  we  grind  them 
lower  and  lower,  until  at  last  they  die  either  forgiving  or 
cursing  us." 

There  was  another  silence  more  oppressive  than  the 
first;  then  Mr.  Day  rose  slowly  and  started  to  leave  the 
office. 

"We  are  exciting  ourselves  foolishly,  I  think,"  he  said 
loftily ;  "neither  you  nor  I,  my  partners,  can  hope  to  rem 
edy  the  conditions  of  labor." 

He  closed  the  door  softly,  and  was  free  from  the  un 
pleasant  atmospehere  of  the  office. 

As  he  did  so,  a  young  girl  stepped  out  of  the  elevator 


88       The  Partners  Do  a  Little  Talking. 

and  walked  directly  to  the  door  which  he  had  just  closed 
behind  him.  He  turned  and  looked  at  her — she  was  as 
a  saint.  Almost  instinctively  it  came  to  him  what  his 
partner  had  said,  that  she  was  "not  afraid  of  work  and 
was  honestly  religious." 

"Pshaw!  What  nonsense!"  he  muttered.  "Think  of 
our  patterning  after  a  saint!  It  is  strange  how  death 
will  upset  some  men,  but  they'll  get  over  it  when  they 
hear  the  money  jingling!" 

He  opened  the  door  to  his  private  office  just  as  a  boy 
came  upstairs  with  a  message  from  Mr.  Gibson. 

"Mr.  Watkins  was  taken  to  the  hospital  last  night,"  it 
read;  "are  we  expected  to  do  anything?  There's  a  re 
porter  from  the  Herald/' 

"I'll  send  down  the  answer  in  a  moment,"  he  said  to  the 
boy,  "or,  wait ;  tell  Mr.  Gibson  to  say  that  we  are  looking 
into  the  case,  and  if  our  employee  is  found  to  be  deserving 
he  will  be  cared  for  by  the  firm.  The  reporter  can  call 
again  if  he  wishes  anything  further." 

With  the  note  in  his  hand  he  went  back  to  the  superin 
tendent's  office. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

FAITH   BECOMES   AN    OBJECT  OF  JEALOUSY. 

As  Mr.  Day  opened  the  office  door  with  the  message  in 
his  hand,  he  hesitated  for  a  moment,  in  something  like  be 
wilderment. 

Faith  Marvin  was  standing  before  his  partners  with  a 
paper  in  her  hand,  and  just  as  he  entered  she  was  speaking 
eagerly.  "We  would  be  so  thankful  if  you  would  do 
this,  gentlemen — even  for  half  a  day,  if  you  cannot  spare 
a  whole  one.  You  see,  poor  Miss  Jennings  has  no  family, 
only  a  crippled  brother,  so  we  clerks  are  reallv  her  brothers 
and  sisters.  She  was  a  dear,  good  girl ;  so  patient  arid 
resigned.  If  we  could  lay  her  in  the  grave  ourselves  it 
would  be  a  sweet  and  solemn  pleasure." 

She  turned  from  one  of  the  men  to  the  other  with  her 
appealing  glance,  even  including  Mr.  Day  as  he  stood 
irresolute  upon  the  threshold. 

Mr.  Forbes  was  the  first  to  recover  his  voice.  The  girl's 
appearance  and  the  petition  had  made  them  both  dumb 
for  a  minute. 

"It  can't  be  done,  Miss  Marvin,"  he  said,  curtly.  "It 
would  be  establishing  a  precedent ;  isn't  it  so,  Mr.  Den- 
ton?" 

"But  surely,  Mr.  Forbes,  such  a  precedent  would  do  no 
harm!"  cried  Faith  quickly.  "Poor  Mary  is  the  first 
clerk  who  has  died  in  the  store,  you  know.  It  isn't  at  all 
likely  that  there  will  be  any  others." 

Mr.  Forbes  stared  at  her  curiously.  He  was  not  exactly 
angry.  As  she  stood  supplicatingly  before  him,  she  was 
radiantly  beautiful. 

"Why  not  have  it  in  the  evening?"  suggested  Mr.  Den- 
ton.  He  had  found  his  voice  at  last,  and  came  to  the 
superintendent's  rescue. 

"The  girls  are  so  tired  at  night,"  said  Faith,  sighing. 
"I  thought  of  that — but  it  did  not  seem  advisable." 


90     Faith.  Becomes  an  Object  of  Jealousy. 

"We  might  arrange  for  a  few  of  you  to  be  away  on  that 
day.  Surely,  you  were  not  all  Miss  Jennings'  friends ; 
there  is  no  excuse  for  the  whole  store  going  into  mourn- 
ins." 

Mr.  Forbes  spoke  decidedly  and  with  a  little  of  his  old 
crustiness.  The  spell  of  the  girl's  magnetism  was  begin 
ning  to  leave  him. 

"That  would  mean  extra  work  for  the  clerks  who  re 
mained/'  was  Faith's  desperate  answer,  "and  poor  Mary 
would  be  the  first  to  object  to  that.  Their  duties  are  hard 
enough  now.  Oh,  no,  sir;  I  am  sure  that  would  not  be 
thought  of  for  a  minute.  If  there  is  work  to  be  done, 
we  will  all  stay  and  do  it,  but  if  you  only  would  relieve  us 
for  a  few  hours,  we  would  be  deeply  grateful." 

"It  wouldn't  do  at  all,  Mr.  Forbes !" 

Mr.  Day  spoke,  if  anything,  more  pompously  than  ever. 
"Pardon  me,  but  we  have  lost  one  day  this  week.  We 
can't  afford  another." 

"That  settles  it,"  said  the  superintendent,  wheeling 
around  in  his  chair.  "You  will  please  return  to  your 
duties,  Miss  Marvin ;  we  cannot  allow  your  petition." 

Faith  walked  slowly  from  the  office  with  the  tears 
springing  to  her  eyes.  Before  she  reached  the  ribbon 
counter  a  floor  walker  stepped  up  to  her.  She  had  never 
seen  him  before,  but  recognized  him  at  once  as  the  Mr. 
Gunning  whom  she  had  heard  the  girls  say  belonged  in 
that  department,  but  was  away  just  then  upon  a  short 
vacation. 

"You  have  been  gone  more  than  fifteen  minutes,  No. 
411,"  he  said,  sharply.  "Hurry  over  to  your  counter; 
Miss  Fairbanks  wishes  to  see  you." 

Faith  looked  at  him  timidly.  He  was  a  silly  looking 
young  man  who  wore  a  flaming  red  necktie  and  curled  the 
ends  of  his  mustache. 

"Another  tyrant,"  thought  Faith,  but  she  only  bowed 
respectfully.  Already  in  her  short  term  of  service  she 
was  getting  used  to  tyrants. 

"I  am  going  to  put  you  in  Miss  Jennings'  place  for  a 
day  or  two,"  was  the  buyer's  greeting.  "I  am  short  of 

ls.  so  you  will  have  to  do.     Miss  Jones  will  tell  you 


Faith  Becomes  an  Object  of  Jealousy.     91 

what  you  don't  know  about  the  stock,  and  I  hope  you'll  be 
very  careful  in  your  measurement  of  the  ribbon!" 

"I  will  do  my  best,"  said  Faith,  very  sadly.  She  was 
soon  standing  behind  the  counter,  a  full-fledged  sales 
woman.  For  some  reason  there  had  been  nothing  said 
about  the  half  day  that  she  had  lost,  but  Faith  knew  only 
too  well  that  she  would  be  heavily  fined  for  her  absence. 
Still,  it  was  better  than  being  discharged.  She  accepted 
the  alternative  thankfully. 

If  Bob  Hardy  was  in  the  store  he  kept  out  of  the  ril> 
bon  department,  for  Faith  looked  around  for  him  nerv 
ously  several  times,  and  was  greatly  relieved  when  she 
did  not  see  him. 

Once  she  overheard  two  cash  girls  talking  about  the 
robbery  in  the  office,  and  as  they  mentioned  the  name  of 
Watkins  she  paused  involuntarily  and  listened. 

"They  say  he's  got  brain  fever,"  said  one  of  the  girls. 
"Well,  I'd  think  he'd  be  crazy  with  all  that's  happened." 

"It  must  be  awful,"  said  the  other  girl.  "Why,  his 
brother  was  only  a  kid,  and,  to  think,  he  stole  five  hundred 
dollars !" 

Faith  almost  gasped  for  breath  at  this  information. 

She  tried  to  speak  to  the  girl,  but  her  lips  and  tongue 
seemed  palsied.  She  understood  now  what  poor  Mr. 
Watkins  had  suffered,  and  to  think  she  had  distrusted 
him — even  for  one  brief  second ! 

Several  times  during  the  forenoon  she  saw  Maggie 
Brady  watching  her,  and  the  hatred  in  her  eyes  was  too 
plain  for  Faith  not  to  see  and  understand  thoroughly. 

Her  first  thought  was  to  see  Maggie  and  explain  her 
conversation  with  James  Denton,  but  she  thought  better 
of  it  later,  and  decided  to  keep  silent.  Miss  Fairbanks 
was  plainly  upset  and  nervous.  She  scolded  the  girls  con 
stantly,  and  seemed  irritated  beyond  measure.  Whether 
Mr.  Gunning's  presence  was  responsible  for  this  nervous 
ness  Faith  could  not  tell,  but  it  was  plain  that  the  two  were 
on  bad  terms  with  each  other. 

On  the  other  hand,  Mr.  Gunning  had  many  friends  in 
the  department.  Miss  Jones  smiled  at  him  frequently, 
as  did  several  of  the  others. 

Faith  was  standing  erect  behind  her  counter  when  a 


92     Faith  Becomes  an  Object  of  Jealousy. 

sharp-looking  wofnan  came  up.  She  began  asking  to  see 
ribbons  of  various  widths  and  colors.  Faith  tried  to  wait 
upon  her  as  rapidly  as  possible,  but  as  she  was  not  familiar 
with  the  stock,  she  got  sadly  muddled. 

"How  long  have  you  been  here?"  asked  the  woman  sud 
denly. 

"Only  about  two  hours  at  this  counter/'  said  Faith, 
sadly.  "I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  am  .afraid  I  have  not 
waited  on  you  properly." 

"Do  you  mean  that  you  are  a  new  girl  altogether?" 
asked  the  woman. 

Faith  glanced  up  innocently,  and  saw  both  Miss  Fair 
banks  and  the  floorwalker  scowling  at  her. 

As  quick  as  their  eyes  met  Miss  Fairbanks  made  a  sig 
nal.  It  was  as  plain  as  day.  Faith  was  to  answer  no 
questions. 

The  woman  was  looking  at  her  with  her  shrewd,  sharp 
eyes. 

"Well,  why  don't  you  answer?"  she  asked,  half  smil 
ingly. 

"I  was  a  packer  for  two  days,"  said  Faith  very  softly. 
She  could  see  no  reason  why  she  should  not  answer  the 
question. 

As  the  woman  moved  away  from  the  counter  every  eye 
in  the  department  followed  her,  and  Faith  noticed  how 
alert  all  the  girls  were  to  wait  upon  her. 

As  soon  as  she  disappeared  Miss  Fairbanks  rushed  up 
to  Faith. 

"What  did  she  ask  you?"  she  questioned  breathlessly; 
"and  what  did  you  tell  her?" 

Faith  repeated  the  conversation  in  open-eyed  wonder. 
When  she  had  finished  Miss  Fairbanks  breathed  a  sigh  of 
relief,  but  her  face  was  still  clouded.  "I  guess  they  won't 
blame  me  for  putting  in  a  green  girl,"  she  said  slowly. 
"Anyway,  there  was  no  one  else.  I'm  awfully  short- 
handed  as  it  is." 

"We  ain't  to  blame  if  they  don't  give  us  help  enough," 
remarked  Mr.  Gunning,  savagely.  "This  firm  is  too 
stingy  to  keep  a  full  force  of  clerks.  Still,  if  one  of  them 
is  sick  or  dies,  there's  always  a  row  about  changes." 

"Well,  if  she  feels  like  it,  she'll  report,  and  that  will 


Faith  Becomes  an  Object  of  Jealousy.     93 

rrrean  trouble,"  said  Miss  Fairbanks,  sighing;  "but  per 
haps  she  won't.  There  are  some  good-hearted  ones 
among  them." 

"Who  was  she?"  asked  Faith  as  soon  as  she  got  the 
opportunity. 

"Only  one  of  Denton,  Day  &  Co'.'s  spies,"  was  the  an 
swer.  "They  are  better  known  in  the  business  as  'Private 
Shoppers/  ' 

Faith  looked  aghast  at  this  information. 

"Didn't  you  ever  hear  of  them  before?"  asked  Miss 
Jones,  coming  up.  "Why,  every  store  has  them ;  they  are 
a  part  of  the  system." 

"Do  explain !"  cried  Faith ;  "I  am  still  in  the  dark.  Do 
you  mean  that  that  woman  was  a  regular  detective  ?" 

"Oh,  Lord,  no;  she  wasn't  a  detective  at  all!  She's  a 
spy,  I  tell  you,  the  genuine  article !  Her  principal  work 
is  to  trot  around  in  other  stores  and  learn  all  she  can  about 
their  'specials'  and  prices,  and  get  all  the  information  pos 
sible  in  order  to  keep  her  employers  posted  on  what  their 
rivals  are  doing,  and  besides  that  she  is  expected  to  prowl 
around  this  store  at  irregular  intervals,  and  we  are  not 
supposed  to  know  that  she  isn't  a  legitimate  customer. 
She  asks  questions  and  pumps  and  finds  out  all  we  know ; 
then  she  makes  us  take  down  all  our  goods  and  put  them 
all  back,  just  to  see  if  we  are  in  the  habit  of  keeping  our 
tempers.  Oh,  she  can  make  life  miserable  for  us  if  she 
chooses !  A  bit  of  indifference  on  our  part,  and  up  a  re 
port  goes,  straight  to  the  superintendent,  and  we  get 
bally-hoo  from  the  buyer  shortly  after !  I  tell  you,  we've 
got  to  be  saints  to  keep  our  jobs  in  this  place,  but  once  in 
awhile,  when  we  get  the  chance  we  let  out  on  some  safe 
party — that's  the  way  we  square  ourselves.  We  can't 
always  be  angels." 

"I've  got  a  lot  to  learn,"  said  Faith  with  a  sigh,  "but 
I  shall  always  be  civil  and  attentive  to  my  customers,  so  I 
don't  think  I  shall  have  much  to  fear  from  that  particular 
direction."  At  just  that  moment  a  messenger  boy  came 
along  the  aisle.  He  had  come  from  outside,  and  was 
looking  for  some  one. 

"Who  is  it?  What  do  you  want?"  asked  Mr.  Gunning, 
going  forward. 


94     Faith  Becomes  an  Object  of  Jealousy. 

"Miss  Faith  Marvin,"  said  the  boy,  loudly.  "I  have  a 
package  for  her." 

Faith  looked  up  in  surprise,  as  she  heard  the  words. 
She  signed  the  boy's  ticket  automatically,  and  accepted 
the  package. 

As  she  did  so,  a  card  dropped  from  under  the  cord  with 
which  it  was  tied. 

Maggie  Brady,  who  was  watching  her  closely,  sprang 
forward  and  snatched  it  up  in  an  instant.  As  she  laid  it 
on  the  counter  she  fairly  trembled  with  rage. 

She  had  read  the  words  which  were  written  on  the  card. 

They  were  simply :  "To  Miss  Marvin,  with  the  compli 
ments  of  Jas.  T.  Denton." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

FAITH  GETS  ACQUAINTED  WITH  THE  THIEF. 

It  was  impossible  for  any  one  to  see  Maggie  Brady's 
face  without  reading  in  it  how  much  she  hated  the  girl 
who  she  thought  had  stolen  her  lover  from  her.  Miss 
Fairbanks  turned  on  her  heel  and  walked  away  laughing, 
while  several  of  the  clerks  began  jeering  Maggie  quietly. 

"You  are  not  the  only  pebble  on  the  beach;  did  you 
think  you  were,  Mag?  There  are  others,  you  see! 
Why,  you're  not  one,  two,  three  in  Jim  Denton's  good 
graces !" 

"Off  with  the  old  and  on  with  the  new!  There's  no 
one  proves  the  truth  of  that  proverb  oftener  than  a  cer 
tain  young  man  I  could  mention !  However,  Maggie, 
don't  throw  up  the  sponge !  You've  got  the  first  claim 
on  Jim  Denton — why  don't  you  let  him  know  it?" 

Faith  listened  to  these  words  in  utter  amazement.  She 
was  distressed  beyond  measure  that  this  unfortunate 
thing  should  have  happened. 

She  was  glad  enough  when  a  number  of  customers 
came  in.  She  was  beginning  to  dread  these  occasional 
lulls  in  business.  Maggie  Brady  had  not  said  a  word 
in  reply  to  any  of  the  taunts,  but  her  face  had  paled  until 
the  two  spots  of  rouge  on  her  cheeks  gave  her  a  ghastly 
look  that  was  positively  shocking. 

Faith  felt  so  sorry  for  the  girl  that  she  did  not  know 
what  to  do,  but  there  was  no  time  to  waste  in  thinking, 
for  she  was  being  addressed  by  a  customer. 

"My  dear,  can  you  tell  me  where  that  young  lady  is 
— Number  89,  I  think,  they  called  her.  She  waited  on  me 
so  nicely  the  other  day  that  I  would  like  to  see  her  again 
if  there  is  no  objection." 

Before  she  had  finished  speaking  Faith  had  recognized 
her.  It  was  the  kind  old  lady  whom  Miss  Jennings  had 
dragged  behind  the  counter  during  the  excitement  about 


g6    Faith  Gets  Acquainted  With  the  Thief. 

the  fire.     She  had  said  at  that  time  that  she  would  not 
forget  her. 

Faith's  ready  tears  had  already  sprung  into  her  eyes, 
but  she  managed  to  tell  the  good  woman  what  had  hap 
pened. 

When  she  finished  speaking  the  lady  looked  terribly 
grieved.  She  could  not  speak  for  a  moment — she  was 
so  shocked  and  indignant. 

"That  settles  my  shopping  in  this  place  any  more,"  she 
said  finally.  "I  will  not  trade  in  a  store  where  my  sister 
women  are  so  badly  treated." 

Faith  saw  her  opportunity,  so  she  hurriedly  told  her 
about  the  petition,  and  how  the  house  that  had  closed 
its  doors  because  a  son  of  the  junior  partner  died  would 
not  spare  half  a  day  to  let  its  employees  attend  the 
funeral  of  a  comrade. 

''What  a  shame !"  said  the  lady,  carefully  lowering  her 
voice.  "What  a  pity  that  the  public  should  not  know  of 
all  these  things.  I  am  sure  it  would  result  in  their  losing 
many  customers." 

"If  there  was  only  some  way  to  make  them  more  con 
siderate,"  said  Faith  sadly,  "and  I  am  sure  there  is — i 
am  praying  for  them  daily." 

"Dear,  dear,  you  don't  say!"  said  the  lady,  a  little  sur 
prised.  "Why,  it  is  strange  that  I  did  not  think  of  thai- 
before,  for  I  am  accustomed  to  going  to  the  Lord  with 
everything !" 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad  to  hear  that !"  cried  Faith  impetu 
ously.  "Then  you  will  help  me  to  pray  for  the  firm  that 
employs  me !  It  may  be  that  God  will  touch  their  hearts. 
We  must  do  our  best  and  then  be  patient." 

"You  are  a  brave  young  girl  and  a  wise  one,"  said  the 
lady.  "Many  who  are  much  older  than  you  have  not 
learned  that  lesson." 

The  customers  were  beginning  to  push  and  crowd 
about  the  counter,  so  the  old  lady  went  away  to  allow 
Faith  to  wait  upon  them.  As  she  left  the  department, 
Mr.  Cunning  bowed  to  her  politely. 

"One  of  our  best  customers,"  he  remarked  to  Miss 
Fairbanks  as  he  passed  her. 

At  luncheon  time  there  was  none  of  the  usual  laughter 


Faith  Gets  Acquainted  With  the  Thief.     97 

in  the  cloak-room.  The  girls  were  all  thinking1  of  Miss 
Jennings  and  talked  almost  in  whispers.  In  a  very  few 
minutes  Faith  saw  a  young  woman  come  in.  It  was  the 
girl  who  had  stolen  the  piece  of  jewelry  on  the  day  of 
the  fire  and  for  whom  Miss  Jennings  had  pleaded  so  suc 
cessfully. 

When  Faith  saw  her  she  felt  a  thrill  to  the  very  tips 
of  her  fingers.  It  was  a  thrill  of  thankfulness  that  she 
had  not  denied  the  dead  girl's  request  to  show  mercy  to 
the  poor  sinner  who  had  been  so  wronged  by  her  parents. 

As  soon  as  she  could  she  walked  over  and  stood  by 
the  girl.  She  was  a  sallow  brunette  but  her  features 
were  regular  and  delicate. 

"Do  you  mind  my  talking  to  you  a  little?"  Faith  asked 
softly.  "You  see,  I  know  almost  no  one  in  the  store  ex 
cept  Miss  Jennings,  and  now  that  she  is  gone  I  am  very 
lonely." 

"Why,  no,  I  don't  mind  your  talking  to  me,  why  should 
I  ?  I  guess  it  ain't  necessary  to  wait  for  an  introduction. 
Got  anything  in  particular  you  want  to  say  to  me?" 

The  girl's  answer  was  prompt,  but  not  at  all  unpleasant. 

"Oh,  no;  that  is,  not  now,"  said  Faith  very  quickly. 
"I  just  want  to  get  acquainted.  You  know  I  could  see 
you  plainly  when  I  was  a  packer  and,  well,  I  liked  your 
looks  and  that's  about  all  there  is  to  it." 

While  she  was  speaking,  Faith  was  conscious  of  a 
change  in  the  girl's  face.  'She  was  evidently  trying  to 
read  her  to  see  if  there  was  anything  behind  this  desire 
for  an  acquaintance. 

Faith  tried  to  smile  brightly  as  she  looked  into  her 
eyes.  She  knew  that  she  must  win  this  girl's  friendship  if 
she  wished  to  help  her. 

"Let's  sit  down  here,"  said  the  young  woman  shortly. 
"I  like  this  corner;  it's  lighter  than  the  others." 

They  both  sat  down  and  opened  their  baskets,  and 
while  they  hurriedly  swallowed  their  luncheon,  they 
talked  a  little. 

4 'My  name  is  Faith  Marvin  and  I  have  Miss  Jennings' 
place  at  present  at  the  ribbon  counter.  I  wrote  that 
petition  that  you  signed  this  morning.  Isn't  it  too  bad 


98    Faith  Gets  Acquainted  With  the  Thief. 

that  the  firm  will  not  grant  us  that  sacred  privilege  of  ac 
companying  our  dead  friend  to  her  last  resting  place  ?" 

Faith  had  introduced  herself  as  well  as  she  could,  and 
now  waited  for  her  companion  to  follow  her  example. 

"My  name  is  Lou  Willis  and  I  hate  funerals,"  said  the 
girl.  "I  can't  see  why  in  the  world  you  ever  wrote  that 
petition." 

The  words  startled  Faith ;  they  were  so  sharp  and  un 
feeling. 

"Why — you  signed  the  petition,"  she  said  after  a  min 
ute. 

"Oh,  of  course  I  signed  it,  but  can't  you  see  why,  you 
ninny?  If  we  get  a  day  off  I'll  go  somewhere  on  a  lark ! 
You  don't  catch  this  chicken  attending  any  funerals." 

Faith  was  so  shocked  this  time  that  she  could  not 
speak,  but  the  girl  rattled  on  without  apparently  notic 
ing  it. 

"I'm  not  one  of  your  milk  and  water  Sunday  school 
girls!  If  I  ever  get  religious  at  all  I'll  join  the  Salvation 
Army !  Do  you  know  that's  a  great  scheme,  that  Salva 
tion  Army?  You  get  six  dollars  a  week  and  your  hus 
band  picked  out  for  you.  Really,  that's  a  great  ^  induce 
ment,  Marvin,  when  you  come  to  think  of  it!  I'd  never 
be  able  to  pick  out  a  husband  myself.  I'm  what  they 
call  too — too — oh — you  know — fickle!" 

Faith  forgot  to  eat,  she  was  so  astonished.  This  was 
a  type  of  woman  that  she  had  never  dreamed  of.  Was 
she  joking  or  serious  ?  Faith  could  not  decide.  As  she 
sat  pondering  and  staring,  her  companion  went  on  talk 
ing  calmly. 

"That  Maggie  Brady  has  it  in  for  you,  they  tell  me — 
but  say,  for  goodness  sake,  how  did  you  manage  to  cut 
her  out  with  Jim  Denton?  Why,  he's  been  sweet  on 
Mag  for  at  least  three  months,  and  that's  a  long  time  for 
Jim.  I  really  began  to  think  he  was  serious." 

She  paused  to  take  a  mouthful  of  bread  and  butter,  so 
Faith  attempted  to  speak.  The  words  came  slowly,  for 
she  was  a  little  uncertain  how  to  say  them.  "I  am  sorry 
if  Miss  Brady  does  not  like  me,  I  am  sure.  But  you  are 
wrong,  Miss  Willis.  I  have  not  'cut  her  out'  with  Mr. 
Denton.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  never  spoken  to  the 


Faith  Gets  Acquainted  With  the  Thief.     99 

young  man  but  once,  and  that  was  yesterday,  when  he 
suggested  that  I  write. that  petition." 

"But  he  sent  you  a  package  to-day,"  said  the  girl,  star 
ing.  "He  must  be  badly  smitten  to  be  sending  presents 
in  such  a  hurry." 

"It  was  only  a  box  of  candy,"  said  Faith,  hastily.  "I 
gave  it  to  one  of  the  cash  girls.  I  don't  understand  what 
made  him  send  it." 

"You  must  be  silly  if  you  don't,"  said  the  girl,  laugh 
ing  harshly. 

At  just  that  instant  Maggie  Brady  passed  close  by  them, 
and  Miss  Willis  seeing  her,  raised  her  voice  a  little. 

"Why,  he  is  in  love  with  you,  of  course,"  she  said, 
with  one  eye  on  Maggie.  "If  he  wasn't  he  wouldn't  be 
sending  you  boxes  of  candy." 

"Hush!"  cried  Faith.  "You  are  cruel!  How  could 
you,  Miss  Willis!" 

For  answer  the  girl  broke  into  peals  of  laughter. 

"Oh,  I  just  love  Mag  Brady — that's  why  I  said  it! 
Can't  you  see  for  yourself  how  much  I  love  her?" 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ANOTHER  TALK  WITH  JAMES  DENTON. 

Poor  Faith  was  driven  to  desperation  now.  Here  was 
a  situation  far  beyond  her  wisdom. 

That  the  girl  was  a  petty  thief  amounted  to  almost 
nothing  beside  her  viciousness  and  animosity  toward  her 
fellow  beings. 

Faith  was  sorely  puzzled  over  what  to  say,  and  while 
she  was  trying  to  collect  her  scattered  wits  Miss  Willis 
poured  out  a  little  more  of  her  venom. 

"If  there's  a  girl  in  this  place  I  hate  it's  Mag  Brady," 
she  said  candidly,  "and  she  knows  it,  you  bet !  I  haven't 
tried  to  conceal  it !  I'm  different  from  Mag,  I  hit  straight 
out  from  the  shoulder !  She's  a  sneak  and  a  coward ; 
she'll  wait  till  it's  dark  before  she  fights  you !  You  see 
you  haven't  been  out  in  the  world  long  enough  to  read 
people  yet,  but  I  have,  I'm  a  regular  veteran  in  the  army 
of  evil." 

She  laughed  loudly  as  she  finished,  as  though  her 
words  were  highly  amusing.  To  be  experienced  in  the 
ways  of  evil  seemed  to  her  to  be  the  highest  possible 
recommendation. 

"I  hope  I  shall  never  know  any  more  about  sin  than 
I  do  now,"  said  Faith  soberly,  "but  really,  I  seem  to  be 
learning  more  and  more  every  day." 

"It  won't  hurt  you,"  responded  her  companion  pat 
ronizingly.  "You've  got  to  hold  your  own,  you  know ; 
if  you  don't  you  go  to  the  bottom.  The  world  is  full  of 
sharks  and  so  is  this  store.  The  sooner  you  find  it  out 
the  better  it  will  be  for  you." 

Faith  saw  that  the  girl  was  growing  serious  now. 
What  she  said  was  intended  to  be  for  Faith's  good; 
whether  it  was  good  advice  or  not,  it  was  the  best  she 
had  to  offer. 

"Hello!"  cried  Miss  Willis  suddenly.     "Do  my  eyes 


Another  Talk  With  James  Denton.     101 

deceive  me,  or  is  that  really  a  plumber  that  I  see  over 
in  that  corner?" 

She  raised  her  voice  so  that  every  one  heard  her,  and 
a  clerk  in  the  opposite  corner  made  haste  to  answer  her: 

"That's  what  it  is  all  right,  Lou,  a  real,  live  plumber! 
The  Board  of  Health  has  come  to  its  senses  at  last,  and, 
thanks  to  that  Government  Inspector,  we  are  going  to 
have  some  'modern  improvements/  " 

"I  hope  we'll  have  basins  enough  to  go  around,"  cried 
another  voice,  "and  perhaps  there'll  be  an  occasional 
glimpse  of  a  really  clean  towel." 

"Oh,  you  mustn't  expect  too  much,"  answered  the 
plumber,  laughing.  "I  only  got  orders  to  do  a  little  put 
tering.  It's  just  a  bluff  they  are  chucking;  it  won't  cost 
them  much  if  nothinV 

"Which  means  that  you  can't  get  rich  all  at  once!" 
cried  Miss  Willis,  grinning.  "Well,  I'm  sorry  you  can't 
squeeze  a  fairly  good  sum  out  of  our  nice,  generous  em 
ployers." 

Faith  went  back  to  her  counter,  feeling  sad  at  heart. 
She  was  beginning  to  question  the  wisdom  of  her  mercy 
toward  Miss  Willis. 

"I  don't  believe  that  anything  would  ever  change  her 
heart,"  she  whispered  to  herself,  and  then  a  great  wave 
of  shame  swept  over  her  as  she  felt  that  she  had  ques 
tioned  the  power  of  the  Almighty. 

She  stepped  behind  the  counter  just  in  time  to  see  Miss 
Fairbanks  changing  the  prices  on  a  lot  of  special  ribbons, 
but  before  she  could  ask  any  questions  Miss  Jones  came 
up  to  her. 

"There's  a  milliner  in  this  block  who  is  selling  those 
same  ribbons  for  fifty  cents  a  yard,"  sfie  said,  "and  of 
course,  Denton,  Day  &  Co.  are  not  going  to  stand  that; 
they  are  going  to  undercut  her  in  everything  until  they 
break  up  her  business.  You  see,  if  we  sell  them  for  thirty- 
nine  cents,  she'll  have  to  come  down,  which  will  mean 
that  she'll  lose  a  whole  lot  of  money." 

"But  won't  Denton,  Day  &  Co.  be  losing  money,  too  ?" 
asked  Faith.  She  was  a  little  too  green  to  quite  see  the 
logic  of  this  action. 

"Not  a  cent,"  was  the  somewhat  surprising  answer. 


io2      Another  Talk  With  James  Den  ton. 

"You  see,  they  buy  in  such  large  quantities  that  they  get 
it  cheaper  than  she  does;  but  even  if  they  didn't,  they 
could  still  make  it  up  on  some  other  goods,  while  she, 
poor  soul,  has  no  way  of  squaring  her  losses." 

Faith's  eyes  opened  wide  as  she  listened  to  this  ex 
planation. 

"That  is  exactly  what  they  did  with  my  father,"  she 
said  slowly.  "They  undercut  his  prices  so  that  he  could 
not  sell  his  books,  then  when  his  bills  came  due  he  could 
not  pay  them.  Oh,  the  thing  is' perfectly  horrible,  Miss 
Jones !  That  poor,  poor  milliner !  Oh,  how  I  pity  her !" 

Miss  Jones  had  listened  with  considerable  surprise.  It 
was  the  first  she  had  heard  of  Faith's  personal  grievance 
against  the  company. 

Things  moved  along  quietly  after  that,  and  Faith  was 
kept  very  busy,  but  through  the  whole  afternoon  she  was 
thinking  of  that  ribbon.  Every  time  a  roll  of  it  was  sold 
a  weight  seemed  added  to  her  burdens.  When  she  was 
obliged  to  sell  it  herself  she  felt  that  she  was  personally 
perpetrating  a  wrong  on  the  milliner. 

It  was  a  terrible  day,  taken  altogether,  for  so  much 
misery  and  anxiety  were  crowded  into  it  that  she  felt  ten 
years  older  when  the  gong  sounded  for  closing. 

"Can  you  tell  me  what  hospital  Mr.  Watkins  was  taken 
to,  dear?"  she  asked  of  one  of  the  little  cash  girls  whom 
she  had  heard  talking  in  the  morning. 

"Don't  know,"  said  the  child.  "I  didn't  hear.  But  he's 
pretty  near  dead,  I  guess,  and  his  brother  is  a  thief. 
He " 

"Hush,  child !"  cried  Faith,  quickly.  "Don't  talk  about 
that,  please!  It  can't  do  any  good,  and — and  perhaps 
some  one  has  been  mistaken!  It's  better  to  say  nothing 
until  one  knows  for  sure.  Poor  Mr.  Watkins!  He  is 
indeed  in  sore  trouble !" 

"Mr.  Watkins  is  resting  very  comfortably,  Miss  Mar 
vin,"  said  a  voice  just  behind  her.  She  turned  around 
quickly  and  confronted  young  Denton. 

"Oh,  have  you  seen  him?"  asked  Faith,  in  genuine  de 
light. 

"I  just  dropped  in  at  the  office;  they  wouldn't  let  me  see 


Another  Talk  With  James  Dentoii.      103 

him,"  was  the  answer;  "but  I  learned  that  there  was  a 
chance  for  him — he  was  what  they  call  'comfortable/  ' 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  that/'  said  Faith,  moving  slowly 
away.  They  had  been  standing  at  the  head  of  the  stairs 
which  led  down  to  the  cloak-room,  and  she  expected  every 
minute  that  Maggie  Brady  would  see  them. 

"Don't  go  just  yet,  Miss  Marvin,"  urged  Mr.  Denton, 
hastily.  "I've  just  arranged  about  that  funeral;  it  is  to 
be  to-morrow  evening." 

"Where?"  asked  Faith  softly. 

"At  the  undertaker's,"  was  the  answer.  "He  has  a 
private  room  for  just  such  purposes.  He  will  bury  her 
the  next  morning." 

"That  will  be  better  than  I  thought,"  said  Faith,  very 
slowly.  "I  will  tell  all  the  girls  I  know  and  ask  them  to 
tell  the  others." 

"Here's  the  programme  or  whatever  you  choose  to  call 
it,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  sneering  a  little.  "The  firm  got 
ahead  of  us  this  time,  Miss  Marvin." 

He  held  out  an  evening  paper  as  he  spoke  so  that  Faith 
could  see  it. 

With  a  cry  of  horror  the  young  girl  read  the  headline. 
It  was  a  regular  "scare  head,"  reaching  across  two  full 
columns:  "Denton,  Qay  &  Co.'s  Generosity  to  an  Em 
ployee!"  "A  Poor  Girl's  Funeral  That  Will  Cost  the 
Firm  a  Large  Sum  of  Money !" 

"How's  that  for  hypocrisy?"  asked  the  young  man, 
still  sneering.  "I  say,  Miss  Marvin,  how  would  you  like 
to  be  the  child  of  such  a  father  ?" 

For  the  first  time  in  her  life  Faith  could  not  rebuke  dis 
respect.  In  spite  of  herself  she  could  not  help  sympathiz 
ing  with  the  sentiments  of  the  young  fellow. 

"Oh,  it  is  terrible!"  she  whispered  in  a  heart-broken 
voice.  "Poor  Miss  Jennings  would  rather  have  been 
buried  in  'Potter's  Field/  I  really  believe,  than  under 
such  conditions!" 

"Well,  I'm  mighty  disgusted,"  said  young  Denton, 
bitterly,  "although  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  what's  got  into 
me  to  care  about  it!" 

"I  guess  you  never  knew  just  how  you  felt  before,"  said 


104     Another  Talk  With  James  Denton. 

Faith  sweetly.  "Sometimes  it  takes  a  shock  of  some  kind 
to  bring  us  to  our  senses." 

"Well.  I'm  shocked  all  right,"  said  young  Denton, 
quickly.  "Why,  when  dad  told  me  about  that  dying  girl 
saying  so  distinctly  that  she  forgave  him,  it  went  through 
me  like  a  knife!  Cut  me  up  worse,  I  believe,  than  it  did 
the  Governor!" 

"Did  it  really  disturb  your  father?"  asked  Faith,  very 
eagerly. 

"I  should  say  it  did!"  remarked  Mr.  Denton,  soberly. 
"Why,  the  man  can't  eat  nor  sleep!  I  believe  her  spirit  is 
haunting  him !" 


CHAPTER  XXL 

A    CHANGE    IN    MR.    DENTON. 

"Well,  Hardy  what  have  you  found  out  about  the  Wat- 
kins  family  ?  Something  satisfactory,  I  hope  !" 

Mr.  Forbes  spoke  to  the  detective  with  unusual  good 
nature. 

But  Hardy  closed  the  office  door  and  advanced  to  the 
desk  where  the  superintendent  was  sitting. 

"On  the  contrary,  sir ;  I  have  found  things  very  unsat 
isfactory,"  was  his  answer.  "Watkins  is  in  the  hospital, 
half  dead  from  brain  fever,  his  mother  is  a  feeble  old 
woman  without  a  penny,  and  as  for  that  young  scamp  who 
stole  your  money,  he's  among  the  missing — he's  vamoosed 
entirely!" 

"Well,  why  don't  you  find  him?"  asked  Mr.  Forbes,  a 
little  less  pleasantly.  "That's  what  I  told  you  to  do! 
Didn't  you  understand  my  orders?" 

"I  haven't  had  time  to  find  him,"  muttered  the  detective, 
sullenly.  "He's  been  spirited  away.  I  think  he's  out  of 
the  city." 

"So  you  see  no  way  of  getting  back  that  three  hundred 
dollars.  Well,  there's  got  to  be  a  way !  We  can't  afford 
to  lose  it !" 

"Lose  what?"  asked  Mr.  Denton,  coming  in  just  then. 

Mr.  Forbes  hastily  repeated  the  detective's  information. 

"You  say  the  mother  is  penniless  and  young  Watkins 
critically  ill?  Well,  I  should  think  that  was  trouble 
enough  for  one  family,"  said  Mr.  Denton  slowly.  "Mr. 
Forbes,  it  is  my  wish  that  you  should  stop  right  here! 
I  wish  you  to  drop  the  matter  of  the  money  completely." 

"What!" 

Mr.  Forbes  wheeled  around  in  his  chair  and  stared  at 
his  partner. 

"I  mean  it,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  "and,  what  is  more,  I 
command  it !  As  senior  partner  of  this  firm  I  expect  my 
orders  to  be  respected!" 


io6  A  Change  in  Mr.  Denton. 

Mr.  Forbes  made  a  heroic  effort  at  self-control.  When 
he  could  trust  his  voice  he  attempted  to  answer. 

"Perhaps  you  have  forgotten,  Mr.  Denton,  that  we  are 
drawing  on  our  funds  very  heavily  this  week.  There  are 
those  alterations  in  the  basement  to  satisfy  the  Board  of 
Health  and  two  hundred  dollars  for  that  Miss  Jennings' 
funeral.  Neither  of  these  expenses  would  have  been  in 
curred  if  I  had  not  been  absent  so  much  of  late ;  but  is  it 
wise,  do  you  think,  to  add  to  these  the  three  hundred  that 
Sam  Watkins  robbed  us  of?" 

Mr.  Denton  seemed  to  ignore  the  last  half  of  the  sen 
tence.  His  mind  was  dwelling  upon  the  other  things  men 
tioned. 

"What  I  have  not  forgotten,  Mr.  Forbes,  is  this,"  he 
said,  quietly :  "That  funeral  that  you  speak  of  has  given 
us  one  of  the  biggest  free  'ads/  that  this  firm,  has  ever 
enjoyed.  Why,  the  space  it  occupies  in  one  paper  alone  is 
worth  at  least  a  thousand  dollars !  And.,  so  far  as  the  al 
terations  are  concerned — well,  I  have  just  ordered  them 
stopped.  I'm  going  to  close  up  that  room  to  employees 
altogether !" 

If  the  sky  had  fallen  Mr.  Forbes  could  not  have  been 
any  more  surprised.  Even  the  hardened  detective  almost 
gasped  in  astonishment. 

"But  you  have  no  right  to  do  this,"  growled  Mr. 
Forbes.  "You  should  consult  your  partners  in  such 
matters,  Mr.  Denton." 

Mr.  Denton  smiled  grimly  at  the  angry  man's  words. 

"You  are  partners,  nominally,  yes,"  he  said  slowly, 
"but  I  hardly  think  it  would  pay  either  you  or  Mr.  Day 
to  oppose  me." 

His  words  were  very  true,  as  Mr.  Forbes  well  knew. 
Both  he  and  Mr.  Day  were  deeply  indebted  to  their  senior 
partner.  He  "owned  them  body  and  soul,"  as  many  per 
sons  would  express  it. 

"I  have  been  doing  a  lot  of  thinking  in  the  past  two 
days,  Mr.  Forbes,"  went  on  Mr.  Denton,  "but  as  you 
would  hardly  appreciate  my  sentiments,  I  will  keep  my 
thoughts  to  myself  a  little  longer.  Here,  Hardy,  you  are 
excused  from  the  Watkins  affair !  Go  back  to  your  duties 


A  Change  in  Mr.  Den  ton.  107 

in  the  store,  and  see  that  you  are  very  careful  not  to  an 
noy  any  innocent  persons." 

Bob  Hardy  made  his  way  out  of  the  office  almost  in  a 
daze.  He  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  store  ever  since 
it  was  opened,  but  such  instructions  as  these  meant  a 
brand-new  departure. 

"I  wonder  what  the  deuce  has  got  into  him,  anyway," 
he  muttered.  "He  talks  like  a  man  that's  got  struck  with 
religion !" 

As  he  walked  "slowly  down  the  stairs  to  the  first  floor 
of  the  building  he  met  a  brother  detective,  who  stared 
at  him  curiously. 

"What's  the  matter,  Hardy?  Look's  if  you'd  had  a 
shock!  Been  havin'  a  set-to  with  old  Forbes,  I'll  bet  a 
dollar !" 

"You're  wrong,"  was  Hardy's  answer.  "It  was  the  old 
man  this  time.  There's  something  wrong  with  the  boss. 
I  think  he's  getting  religion  !" 

"Get  out!  You  don't  mean  it!"  said  the  other  fellow, 
contemptuously. 

"Don't  I  ?"  said  Hardy.    "Well,  you  just  listen  to  this  !" 

He  repeated  the  conversation  that  had  just  taken  place 
in  the  superintendent's  office. 

"Whew!  That  does  sound  like  it!"  said  his  compan 
ion,  whose  name  was  Ben  Tyler.  "He's  off  his  trolley 
completely,  especially  about  the  money!" 

"Well,  that  makes  two  trow-downs  I've  got  this  week," 
said  Hardy,  sourly,  "but  I  got  the  fifty  from  that  masher 
that  I  was  telling  you  about!  You  remember,  the  swell 
that  calls  himself  Captain  Deering?" 

"Yes,  I  remember,"  laughed  Tyler.  "So  he  caught  his 
bird,  did  he,  or,  rather,  you  caught  her  for  him !" 

"I  guess  it  worked  all  right,"  said  Hardy,  slowly.  "He 
met  her  and  talked  with  her,  and  that's  usually  enough. 
Still,  he  was  glum  as  an  oyster  when  he  gave  me  the 
money." 

"Mr.  Hardy,"  called  a  voice  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 
"Come  down,  quick;  you  are  wanted!  There's  a  shop 
lifter  over  in  the  hosiery  department!" 

Mr.  Hardy  stopped  long  enough  to  hear  the  words, 


io8  A  Change  in  Mr.  Denton. 

then  he  made  his  way  directly  to  the  department  men 
tioned. 

He  paused  at  the  counter  and  began  examining  some 
goods,  and  as  he  did  so  one  of  the  clerks  came  up  to  him 
as  though  she  expected  to  wait  on  him.  . 

"Is  this  the  one?"  muttered  the  detective  under  his 
breath,  at  the  same  time  making  a  slight  motion  toward 
the  woman. 

"Can't  say,"  whispered  the  clerk.  "I  just  missed  the 
goods.  There  were  six  pairs  of  hose — they  all  went  to 
gether." 

Hardy  glanced  again  at  the  woman,  whose  face  was 
drawn  and  haggard.  She  was  by  far  the  poorest  customer 
at  the  counter. 

'  'Taint's  no  use  tacklin'  them  others,"  he  whispered  to 
the  clerk,  "for  if  I  ever  nabbed  a  rich  one  she'd  make 
things  lively  for  me — but  I  guess  it's  the  poor  one  that's 
got  'em,  anyway. 

"She  looks  desperate,"  answered  the  'clerk,  leaning 
over  the  counter.  "And,  you  know,  she  could  sell  'em 
and  make  a  little  something." 

Hardy  nodded  knowingly,  with  his  keen  glance  still  on 
the  woman.  As  she  moved  slowly  away  from  the  counter 
he  followed  her  at  a  distance. 

Five  minutes  later  she  had  reached  the  ribbon  depart 
ment.  As  she  stopped  at  the  counter  Faith  went  forward 
to  wait  on  her. 

"I  would  like  a  yard  of  white  ribbon,  miss,"  said  the 
poor  woman  timidly.  "This  cheap  ribbon,  please,  for  I 
haven't  much  money.  It's  to  go  on  the  shroud  of  a  poor 
dead  neighbor." 

Faith  measured  the  ribbon  quickly  and  made  out  a 
check.  As  she  turned  for  the  woman's  money  she  smiled 
at  her  pleasantly. 

The  next  moment  Bob  Hardy  stepped  forward  and  tap 
ped  the  woman  on  the  shoulder. 

"You  are  wanted  in  the  office,  madam,"  he  said,  very 
rudely.  "You've  been  stealing  goods  in  the  store,  and 
have  got  them  in  your  pocket !" 

With  a  cry  of  terror  the  poor  woman  looked  up  into-  his 
face. 


A  Change  in  Mr.  Denton.  109 

"It  is  false !"  she  cried  wildly.  "I  never  stole  a  penny's 
worth  in  my  life !  Oh,  miss,  don't  let  him  touch  me !  I'm 
an  honest  woman !" 

In  a  second  Faith  darted  from  her  place  behind  the 
counter.  When  she  reached  the  aisle  she  threw  her  arms 
around  the  woman. 

"Stand  back,  Bob  Hardy!  Don't  you  dare  to  touch 
her!"  she  cried,  sharply.  "Are  you  so  blinded  with 
wickedness  that  you  can't  see  she  is  honest?" 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  HARVEST. 

As  Faith  wrapped  her  arms  around  the  woman  Mr. 
Denton  appeared  in  the  department.  He  was  just  in  time 
to  hear  her  ringing  question. 

There  were  a  dozen  or  more  customers  standing 
around  the  counters,  and  they  all  stood  staring  in  wide- 
eyed  astonishment. 

Mr.  Denton  saw  that  something  must  be  done  at  once. 
It  would  never  do  to  have  a  scene  like  this  in  the  store, 
for,  besides  stopping  business,  it  was  productive  of  mis 
chief. 

In  an  instant  he  realized  that  he  had  to  deal  with  Faith, 
for  the  woman  was  clinging  to  the  girl  and  imploring  her 
protection. 

He  went  forward  at  once  and  spoke  as  calmly  as  pos 
sible. 

"Take  her  up  to  the  office,  Miss  Marvin,  and  quiet  her 
if  you  can.  She  shall  not  be  harmed.  I  have  no  doubt 
she  is  innocent." 

"And  I  know  she  isn't,"  blurted  out  Hardy,  angrily. 
He  was  frantic  to  think  that  the  woman  might  escape 
him. 

"Well,  whether  she  is  or  not,  she  will  be  treated 
kindly,"  said  Mr.  Denton.  "So  use  your  power  to  make 
her  go  quietly,  Miss  Marvin." 

As  he  said  these  words  he  looked  straight  at  Faith,  and 
the  thankfulness  in  her  eyes  repaid  him  in  an  instant. 

"Come,  my  friend,"  she  said  sweetly.  "Come  with  me 
to  the  office.  There  is  nothing  to  be  afraid  of.  You  will 
only  have  to  prove  your  innocence/'' 

The  woman  checked  her  sobs  and  went  willingly. 
Faith's  manner  had  calmed  her  fears  in  great  measure. 
Mr.  Hardy  followed  them  to  make  his  accusations,  and 
Mr.  Denton  led  them  all  to  his  own  private  office.  As 


The  Beginning  of  the  Harvest.         ill 

soon  as  they  were  there  a  woman  detective  was  sent  for, 
and  the  supposed  shop-lifter  was  taken  behind  a  screen 
and  searched  thoroughly. 

While  this  was  being  done  Faith  was  bursting  with 
indignation. 

''Just  think  of  an  innocent  person  being  subjected  to 
such  an  outrage !"  she  cried.  "Oh,  Mr.  Denton,  is  there 
not  some  other  way  to  do  this?" 

"I  wish  there  was,"  said  that  gentleman  shortly,  "for 
our  detective's  mistakes  have  already  cost  us  several 
thousand  dollars." 

"I  don't  wonder,"  said  Faith.  "A  woman  could  hardly 
forgive  such  an  insult,  but  your  detective  is  capable  of 
far  worse,  Mr.  Denton ;  he  is  a  very  wicked  man.  I  think 
it  is  my  duty  to  denounce  him." 

If  a  thunder-bolt  had  fallen  at  his  feet  Hardy  could 
hardly  have  been  more  astonished.  He  had  not  dreamed 
that  the  timid  girl  would  dare  tell  what  he  had  done, 
particularly  as  she  had  acquiesced,  as  he  supposed,  in  his 
vile  suggestion. 

Mr.  Denton  glanced  at  her  sharply,  but  she  did  not 
quail,  although  her  cheeks  were  scarlet  over  the  unpleas 
ant  remembrance. 

"Eh !  What  has  Hardy  done  ?  Tell  me  at  once,  Miss 
Marvin.  You  will  never  have  a  better  time  than  when 
he  is  present  to  hear  you." 

"Oh,  I  would  never  tell  it  behind  his  back,"  said  Faith. 
"I  always  deal  fairly  and  squarely,  even  with  my 
enemies." 

As  she  spoke,  she  looked  Hardy  steadily  in  the  eye. 
He  saw  that  she  would  treat  him  justly,  but  with  no 
mercy.  It  was  a  difficult  matter  for  Faith  to  tell  her  tale, 
but  she  did  it  in  a  way  that  was  absolutely  convincing. 

"And,  oh,  Mr.  Denton,"  she  cried  in  conclusion,  "is  it 
not  enough  that  we  girls  have  to  work  so  hard  without 
being  subjected  to  such  vile,  unspeakable  horrors?" 

Mr.  Denton  put  his  hands  to  his  temples  and  pressed 
them  hard  for  a  moment.  The  girl's  words  had  over 
whelmed  him  with  the  full  sense  of  his  negligence.  ^ 

To  be  able  to  prevent  all  or  many  of  these  evils  and 
then  to  be  indifferent,  thoughtless,  neglectful.  It  had  all 


H2         The  Beginning  of  the  Harvest. 

come  to  him  at  once — while  the  girl  was  speaking,  just 
as  the  first  tinge  of  remorse  had  come  when  Miss  Jen 
nings  was  dying. 

Hardy  was  standing  like  a  statue,  his  face  purple  with 
anger.  It  was  useless  for  him  to  speak.  He  was  con 
victed  without  evidence. 

Mr.  Denton  had  not  replied  when  the  poor  woman  was 
led  out.  She  had  been  searched  thoroughly  by  the 
woman  detective,  but  there  were  no  stolen  goods  about 
her. 

"That  settles  it,  Hardy.  You  can  go,"  said  Mr.  Den- 
ton  wearily.  ''The  cashier  will  pay  you.  I  am  done 
with  your  services." 

"Oh,  no!" 

Faith  gave  utterance  to  a  pitiful  cry.  Hardy  turned 
and  glared  at  her  a  second  and  then  left  the  office. 

"Oh,  I  did  not  mean  to  get  him  discharged,"  groaned 
Faith.  "Perhaps  a  little  more  mercy  would  have  been  far 
better." 

"He  deserves  no  mercy,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  shortly. 
There  was  a  decision  in  his  words  that  was  quite  contrary 
to  his  nature. 

The  poor  woman  slipped  away  thankfully  with  a  grate 
ful  smile  at  Faith,  and  she  was  left  alone  with  Mr.  Denton. 
It  was  the  moment  she  had  been  praying  for,  and  Faith 
did  not  intend  to  lose  it  Without  a  moment's  hesitation 
she  spoke  softly  to  her  employer. 

"Please,  Mr.  Denton,  may  I  say  a  few  words  more? 
They  are  not  busy  downstairs.  I  am  sure  they'll  not  need 
me." 

"Say  what  you  wish,"  was  the  answer,  and  Faith  hur 
ried  on.  Her  very  soul  was  on  her  lips  as  the  words  fell 
from  them. 

"There  are  so  many  things  that  might  be  done  to  im 
prove  the  conditions  for  the  girls — so  much  that  would 
add  to  their  happiness  and  comfort!  And  it  would  not 
take  a  penny  from  their  sales,  either,  sir,  for  surely  a 
clerk  that  is  well  and  satisfied  with  her  surroundings  will 
be  far  more  courteous  to  her  customers  as  well  as  more 
loyal  to  her  employers.  If  they  could  only  sit  down  and 
rest  now  and  then!  It  is  awful  to  stand  so  many  long 


The  Beginning  of  the  Harvest.          113 

hours.  We  grow  faint  and  sick,  and  our  backs  ache  ter 
ribly.  Why,  I  have  only  been  in  the  store  a  few  days, 
yet  last  night  I  could  not  sleep,  I  was  so  lame  and  weary." 

She  paused  for  breath,  and  then  hurried  on.  Mr.  Den- 
ton  had  turned  his  face  away,  but  was  listening  intently. 

"There  are  all  sorts  and  kinds  of  girls  in  the  store,  Mr. 
Denton ;  some  are  good  and  pure,  while  others  are  reck 
less  and  even  vicious.  Poor  things,  they  have  nothing 
behind  them  but  memories  of  sorrow,  and  there  is  noth 
ing  ahead  of  them  but  hard  work  and  trouble.  It  seems 
to  me  God  never  meant  us  to  have  it  so  hard — if  He  had 
He  would  have  made  our  nerves  and  our  muscles 
stronger.  I  think  he  meant  us  to  do  our  share  of  work 
in  the  world,  but  he  made  men  to  protect  us  from  the  real 
drudgery  of  life,  whether  they  were  our  fathers,  brothers, 
husbands  or  employers.  Of  course,  I  am  only  a  child  in 
years,  but  it  has  all  been  forced  upon  me  by  a  single 
week  in  the  store.  I  have  seen  more  sorrow  in  three 
days  than  I  ever  dreamed  of,  and  I  am  praying  night  and 
day  to  be  able  to  relieve  it." 

She  came  to  a  dead  stop  with  the  tears  choking  her 
voice.  The  next  instant  Mr.  Denton  rose  and  patted  her 
on  the  shoulder. 

''Bless  you,  child,  you  have  shown  me  my  duty  at  last!" 
he  said,  hoarsely.  "I  have  neglected  it  long  enough,  but, 
with  the  help  of  God,  I  will  neglect  it  no  longer." 

Faith  gave  a  cry  of  joy  as  she  heard  the  words. 

"Oh,  my  prayers  have  been  answered,  dear  Mr.  Den 
ton  !"  she  cried.  "I  have  been  begging  God  to  let  me  be 
His  torch-bearer  on  earth,  to  carry  the  light  into  the  dark 
places  where  it  is  so  much  needed,  to  banish  with  its 
glow  all  the  shadows  of  evil !" 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
MISS  JENNINGS'  FUNERAL. 

The  rest  of  the  day  passed  very  pleasantly  to  Faith. 
She  was  so  over-joyed  at  Mr.  Denton's  expressions  in 
the  morning  that  it  seemed  as  if  nothing  could  depress 
her  spirits.  The  "peace  that  passeth  understanding,"  had 
come  into  her  heart,  and  even  Maggie  Brady's  glances  of 
hatred  failed  to  cause  her  more  than  a  passing  sorrow. 

That  evening  she  hurried  home,  and  had  tea  with  her 
mother ;  then,  taking  little  Dick  between  them,  they  went 
to  the  undertaker's  establishment  to  be  present  at  the 
funeral  of  Miss  Jennings.  As  they  reached  the  place 
Faith  was  surprised  to  see  Mr.  Day.  He  was  standing  on 
the  steps  talking  to  two  young  men,  whose  appearance 
indicated  that  they  were  newspaper  reporters. 

Both  Faith  and  her  mother  were  heavily  veiled,  and  as 
they  mounted  the  steps  it  was  apparent  to  Faith  that  she 
was  not  recognized  by  her  employer.  As  they  passed  she 
heard  him  speaking  in  a  most  affable  manner.  There 
were  only  a  few  words,  but  they  made  Faith  shudder. 

"We  hope  this  sad  occurrence  will  prove  beneficial  to 
our  employees,"  he  said  blandly,  "for  they  are  apt  to  be 
thoughtless  in  religious  matters." 

"Did  you  hear  that,  mother?"  Faith  whispered  the 
question  softly. 

"He's  a  hypocrite,"  answered  her  mother,  with  a  moan 
of  horror.  "Just  think,  Faith,  he  is  one  of  the  men  who 
ruined  your  father." 

The  room  in  which  the  casket  lay  was  well  filled  with 
young  women,  but  not  half  of  their  faces  were  familiar 
to  Faith,  although  she  concluded  rightfully  that  they  had 
all  known  Miss  Jennings. 

"Can  you  sing,  miss?"  asked  a  gentleman  in  black 
whom  Fa'ith  saw  at  once  was  the  undertaker.  "I  have  se 
cured  a  minister,  but  they  did  not  allow  me  for  singers." 


Miss  Jennings J  Funeral.  115 

"I'll  try/'  said  Faith,  with  a  sob  in  her  throat.  "I  can 
sing  some  of  the  Moody  and  Sankey  hymns  if  you  think 
they  .will  be  suitable." 

"One  will  do,"  said  the  gentleman.  "Sing  it  right  after 
the  prayer.  I  expect  the  others  will  all  join  in  if  you 
select  a  familiar  one." 

Faith  nodded  her  head  and  looked  around  the  room 
again.  She  soon  saw  Miss  Fairbanks,  Miss  Jones  and  one 
or  two  others  with  whom  she  had  spoken  during  her 
brief  period  of  service.  Mr.  Gibson  came  in  just  then 
with  another  reporter.  The  young  man  was  taking  down 
in  shorthand  what  Mr.  Gibson  told  him. 

"It  is  the  first  death  that  has  ever  occurred  in  the  store, 
and  consequently  the  firm  is  much  distressed  over  it," 
said  Mr..  Gibson.  "They  are  remarkably  considerate  of 
their  employees,  and  this  poor  girl  was  a  consumptive ; 
she  was  ill  when  we  hired  her." 

"Do  you  pay  all  the  expenses?"  asked  the  reporter, 
without  looking  up. 

"Certainly,  certainly !"  said  Mr.  Gibson.  "The  firm  is 
extremely  generous  in  all  such  matters." 

The  reporter  left  just  as  the  minister  entered.  It  was 
apparent  that  for  some  reason  Mr.  Gibson  intended  to 
remain  as  representative  of  the  firm. 

Poor  little  Dick  cried  miserably  for  the  first  few  min 
utes,  but  he  finally  fell  asleep  on  Mrs.  Marvin's  bosom. 

After  the  clergyman  had  spoken  a  few  simple  words, 
and  offered  a  fervent  prayer,  there  was  a  moment  of 
solemn,  breathless  silence.  Some  one  entered  softly.  It 
was  Mr.  Denton.  Faith  had  no  opportunity  to  look  at 
his  face,  for  Mr.  Davis,  the  undertaker,  signaled  her  that 
it  was  time  for  the  hymn. 

Almost  without  realizing  it  the  young  girl  rose  and 
went  over  to  the  coffin.  As  she  caught  sight  of  the  dead 
girl's  face  she  seemed  to  receive  an  inspiration  direct  from 
heaven. 

Her  voice  was  a  soft,  sweet  contralto,  and  had  been 
carefully  trained.  As  she  sounded  the  first  note  the  si 
lence  in  the  room  seemed  deeper  than  ever.  Not  a  voice 
joined  in  to  help  her  with  the  liymn,  for  the  girls  were  all 
spell-bound  at  such  unexpected  music. 


n6  Miss  Jennings7  Funeral. 

With  her  eyes  bent  lovingly  on  her  dead  friend's  face, 
Faith  finished  the  verse  of  the  hymn  she  had  selected,  but 
as  she  reached  the  refrain  she  raised  her  eyes  beseech 
ingly,  and  her  glance  fell  directly  upon  the  bowed  head 
of  Mr.  Denton. 

"It  profiteth  nothing,  and  fearful  the  cost 

To  gain  the  whole  world  if  thy  soul  shall  be  lost '' 

The  words  rang  from  her  lips  like  the  peal  of  a  bell. 
There  was  prayer,  supplication,  eagerness  in  every  in 
tonation. 

As  the  last  note  died  away  several  of  the  girls  burst 
out  crying,  and  Mr.  Denton  raised  his  head  and  looked 
at  her. 

Faith  took  her  seat  calmly.  The  inspiration  had  not 
left  her.  She  felt  lifted  up  in  soul  into  a  higher  atmos 
phere,  where  there  was  no  pain  or  sorrow — only  tender 
ness  and  rejoicing. 

The  rest  followed  swiftly.  The  last  farewell  to  the 
departed;  with  poor  Dick  moaning  and  sobbing,  the 
ladies  turned  their  footsteps  homeward. 

Faith  caught  a  glimpse  of  Mr.  Denton  walking  rapid!}' 
down  the  street.  The  next  moment  she  heard  her  name 
spoken,  and  turned  to  greet  Miss  Dean,  the  store 
inspector. 

"Am  I  too  late?"  asked  Miss  Dean,  extending  her  hand 
cordially.  "1  was  detained  at  the  last  moment.  I  in 
tended  being  present  at  the  funeral." 

"I  am  sorry  you  were  not/'  said  Faith  sincerely,  then, 
after  introducing  her  mother  and  little  Dick,  she  made  an 
eager  communication. 

"I  really  believe,  Miss  Dean,  that  poor  Mary's  death 
has  accomplished  great  things !  I  am  sure  that  Mr.  Den 
ton  has  felt  it  keenly,  and  that  her  dying  words  have 
awakened  his  sleeping  conscience." 

Miss  Dean  looked  surprised,  but  did  not  reply,  so  Faith 
went  on  to  tell  why  she  thought  so. 

After  she  had  related  her  conversation  with  Mr.  Den 
ton  in  the  morning,  the  lady  suddenly  put  her  hand  on 
her  arm  and  looked  at  her  searchingly. 

."If  you    have    accomplished    that,    you    have    indeed 


Miss  Jennings'  Funeral.  117 

worked  a  miracle,"  she  said,  decidedly ;  "but  deeds  speak 
louder  than  words.  We  shall  see  how  Mr.  Denton  puts 
his  conversation  into  practice." 

"Oh,  that's  it,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin,  quickly.  "Practice 
and  precept  are  quite  different  things.  Why,  those  men 
are  all  church  members,  do  you  know,  Miss  Dean;  yet 
see  how  little  their  religion  is  allowed  to  influence  their 
lives.  It  seems  as  if  it  was  kept  only  for  funerals  and 
Sundays." 

"That  has  been  my  observation  in  nearly  every  in 
stance,"  said  Miss  Dean,  slowly.  "I  have  often  said  that 
if  I  could  see  a  conscientious  Christian  I  would  be 
willing  to  give  up  some  of  my  present  theories." 

"Do  tell  us  one  of  your  theories,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin. 
"I,  too,  am  very  bitter  against  hypocrisy  in  the  church. 
I  shall  be  glad  if  some  one  else  feels  the  same  as  I  do,  for 
my  daughter  is  constantly  reproving  me  for  my  distrust 
and  bitterness." 

"Well,  for  one  thing,"  said  Miss  Dean,  "I  think  religion 
impracticable.  No  person  can  follow  Christ  and  succeed 
in  any  line  of  business." 

"I  agree  with  you,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Marvin,  promptly. 
"The  principles  of  Christianity  oppose  success  at  every 
turn.  To  be  Christ-like  one  must  always  be  poor,  always 
weak  and,  consequently,  always  downtrodden." 

"Your  daughter  does  not  believe  that,"  said  Miss  Dean, 
smiling. 

Faith  was  so  in  earnest  when  she  answered  that  she 
stopped  on  the  sidewalk  and  faced  them. 

"Is  there  any  success  greater  than  this,"  she  asked, 
eagerly,  "to  earn  those  precious  words  from  the  lips  of 
our  Saviour,  'Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant,' 
and  to  receive  at  the  end  of  life  that  joy  everlasting  that  is 
promised  to  those  who  follow  Him,  even  though  they 
bear  the  cross  of  worldly  failure  ?" 

Miss  Dean  stared  at  the  young  girl  in  honest  admira 
tion.  While  she  questioned  her  reasoning,  she  almost 
envied  her.  If  a  simple  faith  was  so  satisfying  it  was  cer 
tainly  worth  having,  but  to  natures  like  hers  this  simple 
faith  was  impossible. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
MR.  DENTON'S  ULTIMATUM. 

When  Mr.  Denton  left  that  scene  of  sorrow  in  which 
Faith  Marvin  had  just  played  so  sweet  a  role,  he  could 
not  possibly  have  described  his  tumultuous  feelings.  Not 
a  night  since  that  sad  death  in  the  cloak-room  had  he 
been  able  to  sleep  peacefully,  and  even  by  day  his 
thoughts  were  sorely  disturbed.  It  was,  as  his  son  had 
said,  as  though  the  spirit  of  Miss  Jennings  was  haunting 
him. 

He  was  not  a  bad-hearted  man  by  any  means,  but,  like 
hundreds  of  others,  he  thought  only  of  his  own  interests 
and  those  of  his  wife  and  son,  who  were  very  dear  to  him. 
Out  of  his  own  station  in  life  he  rarely  looked,  and  the 
question  of  equal  rights  never  presented  itself  to  him 
seriously. 

Now,  however,  something  had  taken  possession  of  him 
which  he  could  not  understand.  He  was  beginning  to 
meditate  upon  the  rights  of  others.  4 

As  he  hurried  home  after  those  brief  moments  at  the 
undertaker's,  he  went  over  the  scenes  of  the  last  few 
days,  trying  to  determine  the  causes  which  led  to  his 
perturbation  of  spirit. 

First  and  foremost  in  his  mind  was  the  conversation 
with  the  Government  Inspector  just  before  the  death  of 
Miss  Jennings.  She  had  taken  him  seriously  to  task 
about  the  condition  of  the  store,  and  her  words  had  stung 
him ;  they  were  so  earnest  and  truthful.  At  the  very  mo 
ment  of  his  entrance  to  the  cloak-room  he  was  mentally 
censuring  himself  for  his  almost  criminal  thoughtlessness 
for  the  consideration  of  others. 

Then  came  the  dying  words  and  the  glance  of  those 
death-glazed  eyes.  He  shuddered  even  now  when  he  re 
called  them  so  vividly. 

Since  then  the  awakening  of  his  conscience  had  come, 


Mr,  Denton's  Ultimatum.  119 

he 'had  seen  himself  exactly  as  he  was,  a  traitor  to  him 
self,  to  humanity,  and  to  his  God,  and  the  sight  filled  him 
with  remorse.  He  was  shamed  and  repentant. 

What  to  do  next,  was  the  question  of  his  soul.  He 
could  not  undo  the  past,  but,  thank  God,  there  was  still  a 
present  and  a  future ! 

He  paced  the  floor  of  his  library  long  after  his  wife  and 
son  were  in  bed,  but  the  next  morning  at  breakfast  he  told 
them  his  decision. 

Mrs.  Denton  was  a  vain  woman,  who  thought  of  little 
but  the  fashions,  arid  whose  time  was  nearly  always  taken 
up  with  what  she  termed  her  "social  obligations." 

Her  husband's  serious  words  had  the  effect  of  fright 
ening  her  badly.  She  looked  at  him  anxiously,  as  though 
she  feared  he  had  gone  crazy. 

With  young  Denton  it  was  different.  He  was  thor 
oughly  astonished  and  amazed.  It  was  the  first  time  in 
his  life  that  he  had  ever  heard  a  word  from  his  father's 
lips  that  was  not  freighted  with  the  so-called  wisdom  of 
worldliness. 

"I  have  been  blind  to  my  duties  and  opportunities  at 
the  store,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  in  conclusion.  "I  have  been 
too  much  occupied  with  the  making  and  saving  of  money 
to  bestow  a  thought  upon  the  higher  duties  that  lay  di 
rectly  in  my  path — the  aiding  and  protecting  of  my  fellow 
beings." 

"Well,  you'll  have  your  hands  full,  dad,  if  you  help 
them  all."  said  young  Denton  when  he  had  recovered  a 
little  from  his  surprise.  "I  think  you  ought  to  do  many 
things  differently,  of  course,  but  you'll  bankrupt  yourself 
if  you  shoulder  all  their  burdens." 

His  father  did  not  answer.  He  was  thinking  seriously. 
An  hour  later  he  v/as  at  the  field  of  action,  filled  with  the 
righteous  determination  to  do  his  duty. 

Mr.  Day  sat  in  his  office  when  his  partner  entered*  He 
was  busy  with  one  of  the  "buyers,"  so  Mr.  Denton  stood 
still  and  listened. 

A  large  pile  of  "ready-made"  garments  lay  upon  a  con 
venient  table,  and  as  the  buyer  talked,  he  held  them  up 
for  examination. 

"I  find  I  can  get  this  grade  of  goods  from  a  man  named 


I2O  Mr.  Denton's  Ultimatum. 

Finckelstein  for  ten  cents  less  per  garment  than  I  have 
been  getting  them  from  Goldberg.  They  are  very  well 
made,  and  the  quality  is  satisfactory.  No  one  will  ever 
guess  that  they  are  not  exactly  what  we  advertise.  I  or 
dered  this  lot  for  closer  inspection.  If  they  are  satisfac 
tory  to  you,  sir,  I  will  give  him  a  stock  order." 

Mr.  Day  mused  a  little  before  he  replied.  Meanwhile 
he  was  fingering  the  garments  in  a  critical  manner. 

"Umph!  Isn't  there  a  peculiar  odor  about  these  gar 
ments,  Smith?"  he  asked,  after  a  minute.  "I  am  sure 
there  is!  Really,  I  wish  you  hadn't  brought  them  in 
here !" 

"I  will  take  them  away  immediately,  sir,"  said  the 
buyer,  apologetically.  "They  were  made  in  a  'sweat 
shop/  you  see,  so  it  is  quite  possible  they  are  permeated 
with  unpleasant  odors,  but  I  will  have  them  aired  before 
they  are  put  on  the  counters." 

"Are  you  sure  they  are  not  permeated  with  disease?" 
asked  Mr.  Denton,  suddenly.  "I  am  told  that  those 
'sweat-shops'  are  disgustingly  dirty  places." 

"Oh,  the  Board  of  Health  looks  after  that,"  said  the 
buyer  quickly,  "and,  besides,  I  saw  a  good  many  of 
Finckelstein's  hands — they  were  mostly  clean,  respectable 
looking  women." 

"How  much  do  they  get  apiece  for  these?"  questioned 
Mr.  Denton  again,  as  he  picked  up  a  garment  and  held 
it  at  arm's  length  to  inspect  it. 

"Oh,  about  forty  cents,  I  guess;  and  they  can  make 
two  in  a  day.  There's  a  good  deal  of  work  on  them," 
was  the  buyer's  answer. 

"What  do  they  cost  us  ?" 

The  question  was  asked  rather  sharply. 

Mr.  Smith  consulted  his  notebook  before  he  answered. 

"Fifty  cents  in  gross  lots,  and  sixty  by  the  dozen.  We 
use  a  great  many ;  it  will  ruin  Goldberg  to  lose  us." 

"And  what  do  we  get  for  them?" 

Mr.  Denton  was  reaching  for  the  price  tag  now.  His 
brow  was  almost  black  as  he  asked  the  question. 

Mr.  Smith  looked  at  him  anxiously — he  could  not  quite 
comprehend  him. 

"Two  dollars,  sir,"  he  answered,  smiling — "and  they 


Mr.  Denton's  Ultimatum.  121 

sell  Hke  hot  cakes.  It's  the  grade  of  goods  that  yields 
us  the  best  profit." 

Mr.  Denton  dropped  the  garment  with  a  look  of  horror 
in  his  face. 

"Take  the  things  away,"  he  said  shortly,  "and,  see  here, 
Smith,  don't  order  any  more  goods  from  any  of  those 
'sweat-shops !'  I  won't  have  another  dollar's  worth  of 
them  in  the  building!" 

The  buyer  looked  amazed,  while  Mr.  Day  turned  al 
most  purple. 

"We  make  an  average  of  three  hundred  per  cent,  on 
every  garment,  and  we  have  contracts  with  some  'sweat 
shops'  or  other  for  a  dozen  grades  of  clothing !" 

"We'll  buy  them  off  them  at  a  good  round  sum ;  then 
you  hear  what  I  say — no  more  'sweat-shops,'  Mr.  Smith  !" 
was  the  calm  reply. 

The  buyer  bundled  up  his  goods  and  hurried  out  of  the 
office.  His  employer's  decision  nearly  took  his  breath 
away. 

"Are  you  crazy,  Denton?"  cried  Mr.  Day,  as  soon  as 
the  door  was  closed.  "Is  it  possible  that  you  have  lost 
your  senses  completely  ?" 

"On  the  contrary,  Mr.  Day,"  was  the  serious  answer. 
"The  truth  is,  I  have  only  just  come  to  my  senses." 

He  went  over  and  put  his  finger  on  an  electric  button. 

"Tell  Mr.  Forbes  to  come  in  here,"  he  said  to  the  boy 
who  answered,  then  he  drew  three  chairs  close  together, 
and  sat  down  in  one  of  them. 

When  Mr.  Forbes  entered  the  office  it  was  very  plain 
that  he  was  angry.  His  features  were  darkened  by  a 
frown  that  was,  to  say  the  least,  forbidding.  Without 
even  noticing  his  expression  Mr.  Denton  offered  him  a 
chair  and  then  started  in  to  make  some  astonishing 
statements. 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  distinctly,  "I  have  a  confession 
to  make.  I  have  already  made  it  to  my  God,  and  to  my 
family ;  it  is  now  fitting  and  necessary  that  I  make  it  to 
my  partners.  To  be  as  brief  as  possible,  my  confession  is 
this :  While  I  have  succeeded  admirably  in  laying  up 
treasure  on  earth,  I  have  woefully  failed  in  laying  up 
treasure  in  heaven.  While  I  have  done  mv  dutv  from  a 


122  Mr.  Denton's  Ultimatum. 

worldly  point  of  view,  by  my  wife  and  family,  I  have  been 
persistently  injuring  many  hundreds  of  my  fellow  beings, 
and  showing  no  consideration  whatever  for  their  moral 
or  physical  welfare.  I  thank  God  that  at  last  I  have  been 
led  to  see  the  error  of  my  ways,  and  that  there  is  still 
time  for  me  to  undo  in  some  measure  what  I  have  done, 
and  to  make  amends  for  the  past  in  the  present  and 
future.  Now,  what  concerns  you  in  this  confession, 
firstly,  is  this:  As  senior  member  and  three-fourths 
owner  in  the  firm  of  Denton,  Day  &  Co.,  I  am  about  to 
assume  the  responsibility  of  its  business,  and  to  introduce 
new  methods  in  its  various  systems  which  I  have  every 
reason  to  believe  will  not  meet  with  your  approval.  To 
be  absolutely  fair  and  square,  I  will  tell  you  what  a  few  of 
these  changes  will  be.  I  cannot  tell  them  all,  because 
that  would  be  impossible.  They  will  develop  day  by  day 
as  the  necessity  arises  and  confronts  me.  If  it  is  possible 
I  shall  run  this  store  in  future  on  a  Christian  basis,  or, 
in  other  words,  on  the  basis  of  physical  and  moral  jus 
tice,  and  whether  the  experiment  proves  disastrous  or 
successful,  I  shall  follow  it  to  the  end.  I  shall  sink  or 
swim  as  the  Lord  permits  me." 

As  he  finished,  he  looked  calmly  at  the  faces  of  his  two 
partners.  There  was  no  excitement  visible  in  his  man 
ner,  except  that  he  breathed  a  little  heavier.  For  a  mo 
ment  only  blank  consternation  reigned,  then  Mr.  Day 
drew  himself  up  with  a  scornful  air,  while  Mr.  Forbes 
sat  staring  at  him  with  his  head  bowed  upon  his  bosom. 

"And  suppose  we  do  not  give  our  consent  to  these 
changes  that  you  speak  of?"  said  Mr.  Day,  curtly.  "Do 
you  forget,  Mr.  Denton,  that  this  partnership  has  still 
several  years  to  run?  Whether  we  own  much  or  little  of 
the  capital,  we  are  still  your  partners !" 

"And  as  such  you  are  at  liberty  to  oppose  my  actions," 
answered  Mr.  Denton,  quickly;  "but  in  that  case  I  shall 
resort  to  the  most  extreme  measures,  for  my  mind  is 
made  up,  and  my  decision  final !" 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

MR.   DENTON   GIVES   SOME  ORDERS. 

At  this  demonstration  of  firmness  on  Mr.  Denton's 
part,  Mr.  Forbes  still  sat  speechless  with  his  head  bowed 
sullenly.  Mr.  Day,  on  the  contrary,  nearly  exploded 
with  wrath,  but  at  each  angry  suggestion  he  was  met 
with  the  same  firm  refusal. 

"Are  we  to  be  made  laughing  stocks  for  the  whole 
business  world  to  jeer  at?"  he  asked  as  he  paced  the 
office  furiously,  "or  to  be  'bankrupted  through  methods 
that  border  strongly  on  insanity?  For  it  is  nothing 
else,  Mr.  Denton,  but  raving  lunacy!  No  man  in  his 
sober  senses  would  entertain  such  a  plan  for  the  space 
of  a  second!  Why,  your  orders  about  those  sweat 
shops  were  simply  ridiculous!  Are  we  to  pay  more  for 
our  goods  than  they  are  really  worth,  and  then  make  a 
charity  organization  of  ourselves  and  give  them  to  our 
customers?" 

Mr.  Denton  smiled  sadly.  He  was  not  at  all  sur 
prised. 

What  amused  him  most  was  the  demeanor  of  Mr. 
Forbes ;  he  had  expected  vituperations  from  him  at  every 
point  of  his  confession. 

"You  are  free  to  rid  yourself  of  all  association  with 
the  firm/'  was  Mr.  Denton's  only  answer.  "I  will  buy 
you  out  at  your  own  figure,  Mr.  Day;  or,  as  I  said 
before,  I  will  end  the  thing  at  once.  I  will  apply  at 
once  to  have  a  receiver  appointed." 

"But  I  don't  wish  to  be  bought  out,  and  I  don't  wish 
to  dissolve  partnership.  This  store  is  making  a  for 
tune  for  us  all.  I  would  be  a  fool  to  throw  over 
such  a  magnificent  investment!" 

"It  profiteth  nothing,  and  fearful  the  cost, 

To  gain  the  whole  world  if  thy  soul  shall  be  lost!" 

Mr.  Denton  quoted  the  words  soberly,  almost  rever- 


124        Mr.  Den  ton  Gives  Some  Orders. 

ently.  As  he  did  so  a  vision  of  Faith  Marvin  rose 
suddenly  before  him. 

"Pshaw!  You  have  k>st  your  senses,  Denton!"  cried 
Mr.  Day.  "Am  I  to  be  scared  into  idiocy  by  the  words 
of  some  fanatic?" 

"You  have  said  nothing,  Mr.  Forbes,"  said  Mr.  Den- 
ton,  turning  from  Mr.  Day  quietly. 

"I  have  nothing  to  say,"  remarked  Mr.  Forbes, 
gruffly.  "It  is  as  Mr.  Day  says?  you  have  lost  your 
senses." 

Mr.  Denton  sighed  heavily.  He  was  a  little  disap 
pointed. 

"You  can  talk  the  matter  over  by  yourselves,"  he 
said,  finally,  "and  remember,  I  stand  ready  to  deal  fairly 
by  my  partners.  My  loss,  if  I  have  one,  need  not  be 
theirs;  you  have  only  to  state  a  willingness  to  comply 
or  settle." 

He  walked  out  of  the  office,  closing  the  do'or  behind 
him.  A  second  later  he  had  arrived  at  the  door  of 
his  own  office. 

"Please,  sir,  may  I  see  you  a  minute,  sir?"  asked  a 
voice  just  behind  him. 

He  turned  and  recognized  Sam  Watkins,  the  boy  who 
had  stolen  the  five  hundred  dollars. 

"Come  in,  Sam,"  he  said,  kindly.  The  child  looked 
at  him  in  surprise.  The  moment  the  door  closed  behind 
him  he  burst  out  crying. 

"Come,  come,  boy,  don't  cry!  I  won't  scold  you," 
said  Mr.  Denton,  smiling. 

He  took  Sam's  hand  in  his  own  and  patted  it  encour 
agingly. 

"I  couldn't  help  it,  sir;  indeed,  I  couldn't!"  he  blurted 
out.  "Poor  ma  was  so  sick  and  needed  money  so  dread 
ful!" 

"So  you  took  it  for  your  mother,"  said  Mr.  Denton. 
"Now,  tell  me  the  truth,  Sam;  what  did  you  do  with 
the  other  three  hundred  dollars?" 

Sam  Watkins  looked  up  into  the  gentleman's  face.  His 
eyes  were  red  from  weeping,  but  they  did  not  waver. 

"I  lost  it,  sir,"  he  said,  simply.     "It  was  in  my  coat 


Mr.  Denton  Gives  Some  Orders.        125 

pocket.  You  see,  I  divided  the  wad,  sir,  so  it  wouldn't 
look  so  bulky!" 

"And  did  your  mother  scold  you?"  asked  Mr.  Denton, 
still  smiling. 

The  boy'  gance  fell  to  the  floor  and  he  shifted  his 
feet  uneasily. 

"No,  sir,  she  didn't  scold — that  is,  not  exactly,"  he 
said,  sniffing.  "She  just  talked  to  me,  sir,  and  then  she 
cried  something  awful!" 

Mr.  Denton  turned  his  head  away  for  about  a  min 
ute.  There  was  something  in  the  boy's  story  that  af 
fected  him  strangely.  The  poor  woman  had  wept  be 
cause  her  boy  had  stolen  some  money,  yet  rich  men 
smiled  complacently  over  what  they  called  "good  bar 
gains,"  but  which  in  reality  were  little  more  than  thiev 
ing. 

"How  is  your  'brother?"  he  asked,  when  he  could  trust 
himself  to  speak. 

The  boy's  lips  trembled  and  he  began  crying  before  he 
answered. 

"He's  pretty  bad,  sir;  in  the  hospital,"  he  whispered, 
brokenly.  "They  think  he'll  die!  You  see,  his  sweet 
heart,  Miss  Jennings,  died  the  very  day  after  I  stole  the 
money,  and  the  two  things,  with  his  hard  work,  knocked 
poor  Fred  out  completely." 

"Was  Miss  Jennings  his  sweetheart?"  asked  Mr.  Den 
ton  in  astonishment.  This  was  a  phase  of  that  horror 
that  he  had  not  even  dreamed  of. 

"Oh,  yes,  they  were  sweethearts,"  said  the  boy,  with 
a  hysterical  giggle.  "They  was  awfully  in  love,  but 
they  couldn't  afford  to  get  married." 

Mr.  Denton  rose  from  his  desk  and  paced  the  office 
floor.  The  misery  in  the  situation  was  even  blacker  than 
he  had  realized. 

"See  here,  boy !"  he  said  suddenly.  "Give  me  your 
mother's  address,  and  here's  a  ten-dollar  bill  for  her. 
Now,  go  home  and  take  care  of  her." 

The  boy's  face  flushed  crimson  as  he  refused  the  money. 

"I  wouldn't  dare  to  take  it,"  he  muttered  sheepishly. 
"She'd  think  I  stole  it." 

"Then  I'll  send  it  by  mail/'  said  Mr.  Denton  quickly, 


126         Mr.  Denton  Gives  Some  Orders. 

"and  I'll  tell  her  at  the  same  time  that  we  don't  mind  about 
the  three  hundred.  We  can  forgive  a  boy  who  only  stole 
to  help  a  sick  mother." 

"Oh,  sir !"  cried  the  boy.  But  he  could  get  no  farther. 
The  next  second  he  was  shaking  with  a  storm  of  sobs. 
The  agony  of  his  repentance  had  reached  its'  limit.  Before 
he  left  the  building  the  letter  had  been  posted  to  his 
mother  through  the  pneumatic  mailing  tube  that  opened  in 
Mr.  Denton's  office. 

Mr.  Denton's  next  duty  was  to  see  his  buyers.  He  was 
still  smarting  with  indignation  over  that  "sweatshop" 
horror. 

In  less  than  an  hour  he  had  them  all  assembled  in  the 
receiving-room,  which  was  piled  from  end  to  end  with  the 
products  of  underpaid  labor. 

Hi?  speech  to  them  was  short  but  decidedly  to  the  point. 
They  were  to  submit  the  names  of  the  persons  or  firms 
whom  they  bought  of,  and  receive  his  express  commands 
concerning  all  further  orders. 

"I  cannot  have  the  souls  of  these  poor  creatures  on  my 
conscience  any  longer,"  he  said  at  the  conclusion  of  his 
statements.  "So,  if  the  public  still  want  these  goods,  we 
will  make  them  ourselves  and  pay  those  poor  seamstresses 
what  they  are  worth,  besides  letting  them  work  in  cleanly 
surround'ings." 

"But,  Mr.  Denton,"  spoke  up  one  of  the  buyers  who  was 
a  privileged  character  in  the  establishment,  "that  will  en 
tail  endless  work  for  the  cashier's  department,  as  well  as 
work-rooms.  As  it  is  now,  there  is  but  one  bill  to  pay 
where  by  your  plan  there  would  be  a  hundred  or  more, 
and,  besides,  we  have  no  work-rooms  to  spare ;  we  are 
already  overcrowded." 

"I  know  it,"  replied  Mr.  Denton,  sadly,  "and  as  I  am 
welt  aware  that  reformation,  like  charity,  should  'begin  at 
home,'  I  must  wait  a  little  before  putting  my  plan  into 
action." 

"My  girls  will  never  work  with  those  people,  I  am 
sure,"  remarked  the  foreman  of  the  work-rooms.  "You 
have  no  idea  what  sticklers  they  are  for  caste.  Why,  as 
poor  as  they  are,  they  turn  up  their  noses  at  those  beneath 
them!" 


Mr.  Denton  Gives  Some  Orders.        127 

Mr.  Denton  smiled  grimly  at  this  information. 

"They  share  that  failing  with  the  whole  human  family," 
he  said,  slowly.  "Only  a  few  are  exempt  from  this  feel 
ing  of  scorn ;  they  are  the  few  who  have  learned  to  love 
their  fellow-beings,  however/'  he  went  on  more  cheer 
fully,  "we  who  have  set  them  this  example  of  thought 
lessness  and  neglect  must  try  to  undo  what  we  have  done 
by  patient  precept  and  example." 

His  hearers  stared  at  him,  but  they  were  too  polite  to 
reply.  It  was  their  opinion  that  the  man  had  suddenly 
became  deranged.  They  did  not  doubt  for  a  moment 
that  they  would  go  on  as  usual. 

After  a  few  more  arguments  as  to  the  impracticability 
of  his  suggestions,  the  men  dispersed,  casting  meaning 
glances  at  each  other. 

Once  beyond  his  hearing,  they  talked  the  startling  sit 
uation  over.  Not  one  of  them  had  ever  heard  of  a 
similar  occurrence. 

Mr.  Denton  went  back  to  his  office  to  think  a  little. 
When  he  reached  it  he  found  Mr.  Day  pacing  the  floor 
as  he  waited  for  him. 

"So  your  decision  is  final/'  he  bellowed,  as  Mr.  Denton 
entered.  "You  have  fully  decided  to  make  a  fool  of  your 
self  and  wreck  the  firm,  and  all  because  you  have  not 
head  enough  to  keep  your  religion  out  of  business !" 

Mr.  Denton's  face  flushed,  but  he  spoke  as  calmly  as 
ever. 

"If  religion  is  needed  anywhere,  it  is  needed  in  busi 
ness,"  he  said  quietly.  "If  I  am  a  fool  at  all  it  is  because 
I  did  not  find  it  out  sooner." 

"Very  well,  then/'  roared  Mr.  Day.  "I  refuse  to  sub 
mit  to  such  nonsense!  Furthermore,  as  Mr.  Forbes  will 
not  hear  of  dissolution,  I  shall  expect  you  and  him  to  buy 
me  out  at  once !  I  will  sell  my  right,  title  and  interest  for 
-one  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

"But  that  is  four  times  what  you  put  in/!  said  -Mr. 
Denton,  quickly,  "and  as  you  have  already  been  paid  a 
large  interest  on  your  investment,  your  price  is  exor 
bitant  ;  are  you  too  angry  to  see  it  ?" 

"I  should  have  gotten  that  out  of  it  before  the  expira 
tion  of  the  partnership.  It  is  that  figure  or  nothing," 


128        Mr.  Denton  Gives  Some  Orders. 

said  Mr.  Day,  doggedly,  "and,  mind,  I  will  fight  against 
dissolution,  tooth  and  nail,  Mr.  Denton.  I  would  be  as 
mad  as  you  are  if  I  did  not  do  so!" 

"Then  I  will  pay  you  that  amount  at  once,  Mr.  Day," 
said  the  gentleman.  "I  will  give  you  a  check  on  my  per 
sonal  bank  account  and  acquire  your  interest  as  a  private 
investment.  Your  price  is  too  exorbitant  to  permit  my 
purchasing  it  for  the  firm,  but  we  will  attend  to  the 
details  when  Mr.  Forbes  is  present." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

SOME   STARTLING    CHANGES. 

As  the  days  went  by  the  employees  of  the  big  depart 
ment  store  became  gradually  aware  that  something  had 
happened.  The  first  intimation  came  from  the  daily 
papers,  in  which  was  given  a  more  or  less  truthful  account 
of  Mr.  Day's  withdrawal  from  the  firm  on  the  grounds 
that  he  disapproved  of  his  senior  partner's  new  business 
methods. 

What  these  methods  were  it  remained  to  be  seen.  The 
clerks  were  hopeful  of  some  reforms,  but  for  a  while  they 
only  wondered  and  waited. 

Miss  Fairbanks  stopped  at  Faith's  counter  early  one 
morning,  when  the  store  was  comparatively  empty,  and 
began  talking  to  her  in  an  unusually  affable  manner. 

''There's  something  going  to  happen  here  soon,"  she 
said,  confidently.  "And,  in  my. opinion,  it's  going  to  be 
pretty  serious.  Either  Mr.  Denton  has  got  religion,  or 
else  he's  gone  crazy,  for  he's  giving  us  buyers  a  lot  of 
orders  nowadays  that  will  mean  the  failure  of  the  firm  if 
we  are  obliged  to  obey  them." 

"Why,  what  are  they,  Miss  Fairbanks?"  Faith  asked 
in  surprise.  Miss  Jones  came  up  also  and  listened  for 
the  answer. 

"Well,  in  the  first  place,  we  are  not  to  beat  down  the 
drummers  any  more,  but  are  to  offer  them  fair  prices 
on  all  our  orders.  Then  we  are  to  learn,  if  possible, 
who  makes  the  goods  that  we  buy,  for  Mr.  Denton  says 
he  does  not  want  to  make  a  profit  out  of  some  poor 
woman's  work  while  she  is  going  half  clothed  and  per 
haps  sick  and  starving." 

"Why,  the  man  is  stark  mad,"  said  Miss  Jones,  in 
amazement.  "As  if  it  was  any  concern  of  his  what  other 
people  work  for!" 

"I    think   he   is    quite   right,"   remarked    Faith,    very 


130  Some  Startling  Changes. 

soberly.  "I  can  understand  how  he  feels,  and  I  think 
he  is  very  brave  to  give  such  orders." 

"Then" he  says,"  went  on  Miss  Fairbanks,  "that  there 
are  u  be  new  arrangements  for  you  girls.  You  are  to 
be  relieved  every  .two  hours  for.  about  twenty  minutes. 
That  means,  of  course,  that  he  is  going  to  hire  a  lot  of 
new  help,  and  I,  for  one,  am  sorry,  for  there'll  be  blun 
ders  by  the  hundred." 

"Oh,  perhaps  not,"  said  Faith,  brightly.  "I  hope  not, 
anyway,  for  your  sake,  Miss  Fairbanks.  I  know  just 
how  annoying  it  is  for  you,  who  have  so  many  clerks 
to  look  after." 

Miss  Fairbanks  looked  at  her  gratefully,  but  with  a 
little  surprise.  It  was  not  often  that  one  of  her  girls 
expressed  any  sympathy  for  her. 

"Then,  there's  to  be  a  full  hour  at  luncheon,"  contin 
ued  the  buyer  after  a  minute,  "and  the  best  of  all  is  that 
we  are  to  have  a  new  lunch-room.  No  more  eating  in 
that  rat  hole  down  in  the  basement." 

"Well,  that  is  good  news,"  said  Miss  Jones  delight 
edly.  "Really,  I  begin  to  think  that  the  millennium  is 
coming!" 

"Or  the  Kingdom  of  God,"  said  Faith,  very  happily. 
"There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  but  that  Mr.  Denton  has 
become  a  Christian." 

Both  women  stared  at  her  as  she  spoke,  but,  for  a 
wonder,  neither  of  them  scoffed  at  her  statement. 

Miss  Fairbanks  recovered  herself  first  and  asked  a  very 
natural  question. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  saying  that  he  has  become  a 
Christian?  Why,  Mr.  Denton  has  been  a  member  of  the 
church  ever  since  I  can  remember." 

"Alas!"  sighed  Faith  sadly.  "That  doesn't  always 
signify,  Miss  Fairbanks.  He  may  have  accepted  Christ 
but  not  Christ's  spirit;  but  it  is  plain  now  that  the  very 
essence  of  godliness  is  awakening  within  him.  If  this  is 
so  I  can  predict  that  there  will  be  great  changes  in 
this  store  and  that  every  one  will  be  for  the  comfort  of 
its  toilers." 

A  few  customers  coming  in  cut  short  the  conversation, 
and  as  Maggie  Brady  was  absent  the  department  was 


Some  Startling  Changes.  131 

short-handed,  as  usual,  so  that  there  was  only  an  odd 
minute  or  two  for  idling. 

"I  wonder  if  Miss  Brady  is  ill?"  said  Faith  as  she 
squeezed  by  Miss  Jones  in  the  narrow  space  behind  the 
counter. 

"It  will  go  hard  with  her  if  she  doesn't  show  up  pretty 
soon,"  was  the  answer,  "for  between  you  and  me,  I  be 
lieve  Gunning  hates  her." 

"Oh,  these  dreadful  hatreds,"  said  Faith,  with  a  sigh. 
"Poor  Miss  Brady  looks  so  wretched.  I  don't  see  how 
any  one  can  hate  her." 

"Well,  you  see,  she  was  engaged  to  Gunning  once, 
and  she  might  better  have  married  him  than  to  have 
thrown  herself  away  on  Jim  Denton." 

Cash  girl  Number  83  came  up  as  she  spoke.  She  was 
the  girl  who  had  first  told  Faith  that  Mr.  Watkins  was 
very  ill  and  in  the  hospital,  and  it  was  evident  by  her 
manner  that  she  had  something  else  to  tell  her. 

"What  is  it,  83?"  asked  Faith,  expectantly.  "Have 
you  heard  any  news  of  Mr.  Watkins'  condition?" 

"Yes,  and  I've  heard  more'n  that,"  said  the  little  girl 
quickly,  "but  I  won't  spring  it  all  on  you  at  once,  for 
it  might  shock  you,  Miss  Marvin." 

Faith  was  puzzled  at  her  words,  but  she  tried  to  re 
strain  her  eagerness  until  the  girl  had  given  a  package 
to  a  customer  and  come  back  to  the  counter. 

"Mr.  Watkins  is  better — lots  better,"  she  said,  gayly. 
"They  say  the  boss  has  been  to  see  him  in  his  howling 
swell  carriage,  and  they've  fixed  up  the  matter  about 
the  money  all  right;  they  must  have,  because  Sammy 
Watkins  is  back  in  his  old  position." 

"Oh,  that  is  lovely,"  cried  Faith,  clasping  her  hands 
together. 

"Well,  the  rest  ain't  so  lovely!"  said  the  cash  girl, 
grinning,  "for  I  saw  Mag  Brady  on  the  street  last 
night.  She  was  drunk  as  a  toper,  and  she  says  she's 
a-goin'  to  'do'  you!" 

"What!"  gasped  Faith,  in  astonishment  as  the  cash 
girl  finished,  "Miss  Brady  intoxicated!  You  surely 
don't  mean  it?" 


132  Some  Startling  Changes. 

"Oh,  don't  I?"  said  the  child,  with  a  worldly  leer. 
"I  mean  lots  more  than  that,  only  I'm  too  nice  to  say  it." 

She  walked  away  to  answer  another  call  while  Faith 
stared  first  at  Miss  Fairbanks  and  then  at  Miss  Jones. 
Both  had  heard  the  words  yet  they  were  laughing  at 
her  amazement. 

"You  are  easily  shocked,"  said  Miss  Fairbanks,  with 
a  shrug.  "Why,  any  one  with  half  an  eye  could  see  that 
Mag  Brady  loves  whiskey." 

"Chat's  another  thing  that  Jim  Denton  taught  her," 
said  Miss  Jones  indifferently.  "Why,  I  knew  Mag  Brady 
when  she  was  as  innocent  as  you  are." 

"But  can  nothing  be  done  to  reclaim  her?"  asked  Faith, 
eagerly.  "You  say  you  knew  her  when  she  was  dif 
ferent,  Miss  Jones ;  have  you  ever  tried  to  save  her  from 
ruin?" 

"I  mind  my  own  business,"  said  Miss  Jones,  haught 
ily,  "and  I  find  that  is  all  I  can  possibly  do.  Mag  Brady 
must  save  herself  if  she  wants  to  be  saved,  but,  between 
you  and  me,  I  don't  think  she  wants  to." 

"But  you — you  are  her  friend,"  Faith  cried,  turning  to 
Miss  Fairbanks;  "do  promise  me  that  you  will  plead 
with  her;  it  might  do  wonders!  Just  think  how  you 
would  feel  if  the  poor  girl  was  your  sister !" 

Miss  Fairbanks  seemed  earnest  and  sincere  as  she  re 
plied  : 

"I  will  certainly  advise  her  if  she  gives  me  the  chance. 
Popr  girl,  I  am  sorry  for  her,  but  I  doubt  if  I  can 
save  her." 

"Then  we  must  all  pray  that  God  will  do  so,"  whis 
pered  Faith,  very  soberly.  "It  is  a  wrong  that  we  will  all 
be  held  responsible  for;  to  see  her  going  down  to  de 
struction  and  not  try  to  save  her!" 

Miss  Jones  wheeled  around  and  went  to  a  customer, 
but  Miss  Fairbanks  paused  and  looked  at  Faith  for  a 
moment. 

"I  would  give  the  world  to  possess  your  faith,"  she 
said,  hesitatingly;  "but  there's  no  use — no  use — I'm  too 
great  a  sinner." 

There  was  no  chance  to  reply,  for  she  walked  away 
as  she  spoke.  In  a  second  she  was  talking  to  a  customer 


Some  Startling  Changes.  133 

in  her  usual  business-like  manner.  As  Faith  turned  to 
look  over  her  stock  she  heard  some  one  speak. 

There  was  a  colored  man  at  her  counter  holding  a  let 
ter  out  toward  her. 

"Dis  yere  lettah  fo'  you,  missy,"  he  said,  with  a  wide 
grin.  "Dar  ain't  no  name  on  it,  honey,  but  I  know's 
yo'  face.  Yo'  is  num'er  fo'  eleben.  Reckin  ain't  no 
'stake 'bout  it!" 

"I  am  Number  411,  certainly,"  said  Faith,  politely, 
"but  I  can't  imagine  who  would  write  me  a  letter;  still, 
if  you  are  sure  it's  for  me,  I  suppose  I  must  accept." 

"Oh,  it's  fo'  you  all  right,"  said  the  negro,  decidedly, 
"fo'  de  capting  p'inted  yo'  out  on  de  street  las'  ebenin'." 

Faith  took  the  letter  and  opened  it  hastily.  As  she 
glanced  rapidly  over  the  writing  she  blushed  as  red  as 
a  poppy. 

"Got  a  mash  note?"  asked  Miss  Jones  with  a  careless 
glance  at  the  letter. 

"Not  exactly,"  stammered  Faith,  "but  it  is  almost  as 
unpleasant.  It  is  from  a  man  whom  Bob  Hardy  spoke 
to  me  about — a  fellow  who  thinks  ;because  I  am  poor 
that  he  can  buy  my  soul  with  his  superfluous  money!" 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

T  H  £      POISONED      CANDY. 

But  Faith  had  only  read  a  part  of  the  letter  when  she 
made  her  statement,  for,  on  a  closer  perusal,  she  found 
she  was  mistaken.  If  the  writer  had  ever  dreamed  of 
tempting  her  with  the  lure  of  proffered  luxury  he  ad 
mitted  his  change  of  opinion  in  terms  of  honest  candor. 

"Dear  Child,"  the  letter  read,  "since  our  meeting  the 
other  evening  I  have  been  thinking  constantly  how  I  best 
could  win  your  esteem  and  affection.  That  I  should 
desire  the  friendship  of  a  pure,  young  girl  would  sound 
strange  to  the  ears  of  many  worldly  people,  'but  to  you, 
who  are  as  distant  from  worldliness  as  are  the  angels  in 
heaven,  the  suggestion  can  bring  o*ly  bewildering  sen^ 
sations.  To  say  that  I  am  ashamed  does  not  half  ex 
press  my  feeling's.  To  say  that  I  wish  to  make  imme 
diate  amends  does  not  convey  to  you  the  half  of  my 
eagerness  in  that  direction. 

"Will  you  allow  me  to  call  upon  you  at  your  home? 
This  is  the  request  of  a  man  who  was  once  a  gentle 
man,  but  who,  through  the  bitterness  of  disappointment, 
had  lost  faith  in  all  things  holy." 

The  letter  was  signed  "Cornelius  C.  Deering." 

Faith  read  it  over  and  over — the  signature  was  in  a 
measure  familiar,  but  just  at  that  time  she  could  not 
place  it. 

As  she  tucked  the  letter  in  her  pocket,  Mr.  Gunning 
approached  the  counter.  He  was  twirling  his  mustache 
with  his  coarse,  blunt  fingers,  and  there  was  a  supercil 
iousness  in  his  manner  that  was  almost  disgusting. 

"Perhaps  you  are  not  aware,  Number  411,  that  we 
don't  allow  that  sort  of  thing  here,"  he  said  in  a  loud 
tone.  "If  you  must  have  such  improper  notes  from 
men,  please  see  that  they  are  not  delivered  during  busi 
ness  hours.  I  can't  have  you  wasting  time  in  reading 
letters!" 


The  Poisoned  Candy.  135 

For  a  moment  the  floor  seemed  sinking-  beneath 
Faith's  feet,  but  it  was  not  altogether  from  the  effect  of 
his  words — it  was  the  shock  of  finding  out  that  Miss 
Jones  was  treacherous. 

For  a  moment  it  seemed  incomprehensible  that  she 
should  have  repeated  her  remark,  but  how  else  could 
the  floor-walker  have  guessed  that  her  letter  was  either 
from  a  "man'1  or  "improper"? 

She  almost  bit  her  tongue  in  her  effort  to  keep  si 
lent,  and  at  first  she  was  even  tempted  to  show  the 
fellow  the  letter. 

"It  was  not  my  fault  that  the  letter  came  to  me  here," 
'she  said  finally.  "Believe  me,  Mr.  Gunning,  it  would 
not  have  happened  if  I  could  have  prevented  it." 

"Oh,  of  course,  you  can't  help  men  writing  love  let 
ters  to  you,"  said  the  fellow,  impudently;  "but  if  I  see 
any  more  of  them  I  shall  report  it  to  Mr.  Gibson!  Our 
rules  are  very  strict.  There  is  to  be  no  flirting  in  the 
building!" 

Faith  would  have  liked  to  ask  him  why  he  did  not 
stop  James  Denton  from  flirting  in  the  store,  and  why 
the  detectives  were  not  punished  for  their  villainous 
efforts  in  behalf  of  outsiders,  as  well  as  a  dozen  more 
questions,  some  of  which  would  have  included  his  own 
department,  but  she  was  far  too  wise  to  risk  such  a 
venture. 

When  Mr.  Gunning  walked  away,  Miss  Jones  came  up 
to  her.  There  was  a  sneer  on  her  face  while  her  eyes 
twinkled  with  amusement. 

"How  could  you  be  so  mean  as  to  tell  him?"  Faith 
asked,  breathlessly.  "You  saw  how  distressed  I  was; 
why  could  you  not  respect  my  feelings?" 

"Oh,  I  guess  you  didn't  feel  so  bad  as  you  try  to 
make  out,"  said 'Miss  Jones,  snappishly.  "Girls 'that 
make  friends  with  men  who  keep  nigger  servants  ain't 
always  as  green  as  they  look,  you  know!  Sometimes 
they  are  worse  than  those  who  ain't  so  smooth  or  so 
clever!" 

"You  are  as  insulting  as  he  was,"  said  Faith,  very 
gravely.  "I  am  disappointed  in  you,  Miss  Jones.  I 
though  you  were  more  friendly." 


136  The  Poisoned  Candy. 

"Well,  who  cares  what  you  thought?"  was  the  heart 
less  answer.  "I'm  not  to  blame  if  you  took  me  for  a 
fool!  Why,  even  Mag  Brady  could  see  through  your 
sly  actions!" 

Faith  looked  at  her  in  astonishment,  her  veins  throb 
bing  with  indignation. 

"She  understood  your  little  game  that  day  of  the 
fire,  when  you  and  Jim  Denton  were  talking  together! 
He's  rich,  Jim  Denton  is,  and  he's  mighty  susceptible! 
You  ain't  such  an  innocent  but  what  you  found  th*at 
out,  and  now  he  is  meeting  you  on  street  corners  and 
sending  you  candy!" 

Faith  had  heard  all  she  could  bear,  so  she  turned 
and  walked  slowly  away.  She  was  so  confused  that  for 
an  hour  or  more  she  could  hardly  make  out  her  checks 
properly. 

The  new  packer  was  a  girl  about  two  years  her  ju 
nior,  and  as  Faith  handed  up  her  goods  she  could  not 
help  thinking  of  Miss  Jennings. 

Poor  Mary,  with  all  her  bitterness,  had  been  a  true, 
loyal  friend.  She  would  have  scorned  to  do  a  treach 
erous  or  dishonest  action  herself,  yet  she  absolutely  re 
fused  to  condemn  such  conduct  in  others. 

Faith  remembered  her  plea  for  the  thief,  Lou  Willis, 
and  that  led  her  finally  on  a  new  train  of  thought,  so 
that  she  was  able  to  almost  forget  her  late  conversa 
tion. 

Several  times  during  the  day  there  were  changes  made 
in  the  department,  and  Miss  Fairbanks  was  kept  busy 
altering  the  prices  on  goods,  especially  on  what  were 
known  as  the  "bargain  counters." 

These  counters  were  principally  small  tables  standing 
here  and  there  in  the  aisles,  and  during  the  rush  hours 
they  were  always  surrounded  by  customers. 

Finally,  to  the  surprise  of  the  entire  department,  the 
tables,  themselves,  were  removed,  Mr.  Denton  coming 
down  from  his  office  to  superintend  the  transaction. 

The  fire  company  has  warned  him  again,  I  guess," 
whispered  Miss  Fairbanks  to  Faith.  ''Well,  that's  a 
hard  one  on  Mag  Brady;  she  was  hired  expressly  for 
those  bargains." 


The  Poisoned  Candy.  137 

"He  will  surely  make  a  place  for  her  elsewhere,  will 
he  not?"  asked  Faith.  "It  would  be  dreadful  if  the 
poor  girl  should  lose  her  work  completely!" 

"She  deserves  it,"  said  Cash  Number  83,  who  was 
standing  near.  "  'Tain't  as  if  she  was  stayin'  away  'cause 
she  was  sick !  She's  just  on  a  spree  along  with  some  girls 
and  fellers!" 

"What  gets  me  is  how  Mr.  Forbes  is  taking  all  these 
changes.  He  don't  seem  to  be  saying  a  word,"  contin 
ued  Miss  Fairbanks,  without  noticing  the  cash  girl. 

"Oh,  he's  just  saying  nothing  and  sawing  wood," 
said  Miss  Jones,  knowingly.  "He's  too  foxy  to  quit 
the  firm  as  old  Pomposity  did!  Probably  he  thinks  it 
won't  last,  and  he's  willing  to  wait  till  it's  over." 

"Well,  it  will  be  a  great  deal  safer  here  now  without 
the  tables,"  said  the  buyer.  "If  we  have  a  fire  now  there 
won't  be  so  much  crowding." 

"They  say  he's  doing  this  sort  of  thing  all  over  the 
store,"  said  Mr.  Gunning,  who  had  just  returned,  from 
helping  with  the  tables. 

"Then  they  tell  me,  too,  that  he's  having  a  lunch-room 
and  restaurant  for  employees  built  on  the  sixth  floor  of  the 
building.  .  All  the  goods  that  were  stored  there  are  being 
taken  to  the  basement." 

"And  we  cash  girls  are  all  to  be  fired !"  spoke  up  "Num 
ber  83,"  sadly,  "except  those  who  are  healthy  and  over 
fourteen.  The  rest  of  us  that  ain't  got  any  parents  have 
got  to  go  to  Gerry's,  or,  if  we  have  got  parents,  they've 
got  to  support  us — that's  what  the  boss  says,  but  it  sounds 
mighty  like  a  'pipe  dream/  " 

"It  sounds  like  a  sensible  arrangement,"  said  Faith, 
seriously,  "for  it's  a  shame  that  such  children  should  have 
to  work!  Why,  you  ought  to  be  in  school  this  very 
minute !" 

"Well,  I'd  rather  be  here,"  said  "£3"  very  shortly. 
"There  ain't  no  fun  in  a  school-room,  and  what's  the  good 
of  studyin',  anyhow7?" 

"But  don't  you  wish  to  be  able  to  cipher  and  to  read 
books?"  said  Faith. 

"What's  the  use  ?"  was  the  answer ;  "they  don't  tell  you 


138  The  Poisoned  Candy. 

nothin',  at  least  not  nothin'  about    how    to    earn    your 
livm1!" 

Faith  gave  up  in  despair.  She  was  baffled  at  every  turn. 
The  only  ray  of  sunshine  that  she  could  see  was  in  Mr. 
Denton's  rapidly  developing  improvements. 

she  mounted  the  stairs  to  the  sixth  floor  to  eat  her 
luncheon  in  the  new  quarters,  she  was  surprised  to  find 
Sam  Watkins  waiting  at  the  top  of  the  last  flight,  appar 
ently  ou  the  lookout  for  her. 

"  This  is  Miss  Marvin,,  ain't  it?"  he  asked  when  he  saw 
her,  at  the  same  time  drawing  a  package  out  from  under 
his  jacket.  "I  was  told  to  give  you  this,"  he  whispered, 
shyly.  "Here,  take  it,  quick,  while  there  ain't  no  one 
lookin' !  Them  gals  would  turn  green  if  they  knowed  you 
had  a  whole  box  of  candy !" 

Faith  took  the  box  and  looked  at  it  sharply.  There  was 
no  card  this,  time,  but  she  felt  sure  it  was  from  James 
Den  ton. 

"Yfm  can  have  it,  Sam,"  she  said,  without  an  instant's 
hesitation.  "I  really  don't  care  for  it ;  do  take  it,  Sam. 
But,  by  the  way,  where  did  you  get  it?" 

"Hush!" 

The  boy  whispered  the  word  with  his  fingers  on  his 
lips. 

"There  they  come  now,  miss!  Are  you  sure  you  don't 
want  it?" 

"Quite  sure,  Sam,"  was  Faith's  answer,  as  she  hurried 
away.  She  did  not  wish  the  clerks  to  know  that  she  had 
been  the  recipient  of  more  presents. 

Sam  Watkins  took  the  box  directly  to  the  men's  lunch 
room,- which  was  on  the  same  floor  at  the  other  end  of  the 
building. 

Being  a  boy,  he  could  not  long  resist  the  temptation 
of  candy,  but  just  as  he  opened  the  bo'x  with  a  grimace 
of  delight,  Ben  Tyler  came  in  carrying  a  wide-awake,  lit 
tle  Skye  terrier. 

"I  just  found  him  in  the  store ;  some  lady  has  lost  him, 
I  guess,"  said  Tyler,  as  the  others  all  looked  at  him.  "I 
was  going  to  send  him  to  the  'Found  desk,'  but  he 
.wouldn't  have  it.  He  sticks  to  me  as  if  I  was  his  master." 


The  Poisoned  Candy.  139 

"I'll  get  him  away  from  you,  I'll  bet!"  said  Sam,  hold 
ing  out  a  piece  of  candy. 

In  a  second  the  dog  sprang  out  of  Tyler's  arms  and 
swallowed  the  sweetmeat  greedily. 

"There,  yon  can't  have  any  more,"  said  Sam,  after  ha 
had  fed  him  a  couple  more  pieces.  "I've  got  to  treat  the 
rest  of  the  crowd,  and  there  won't  be  enough  to  go 
around." 

"Keep  your  candy,  kid ;  we  don't  want  it,"  said  one  of 
the  men  good-naturedly,  but  Sam  was  so  interested  in 
watching  the  lively  little  dog  that,  fortunately,  he  forgot 
to  eat  for  a  few  minutes. 

"Hello!  What  ails  the  dog?"  exclaimed  Tyler,  sud 
denly.  "How  queer  he  acts !  I  believe  the  stuff  has  made 
him  sick  already !" 

All  eyes  wrere  turned  on  the  poor  little  creature,  and  it 
was  soon  plain  to  be  seen  that  he  was  suffering  terribly. 

"It  ought  not  to  hurt  him,"  said  one  of  the  men. 

"Not  if  it's  all  right,"  said  Tyler,  going  over  toward 
Sam.  "Let  me  see  your  candy,  my  boy ;  I  believe  there's 
something  wrong  with  it." 

Sam  dropped  the  chocolate  that  he  was  just  conveying 
to  his  mouth,  and  handed  the  box  to  the  detective  with 
great  alacrity. 

"There's  something  in  it,  I'm  sure,"  he  said,  after  a 
careful  scrutiny,  "and  I'm  willing  to  bet  the  stuff  is 
poisoned !" 

A  final  moan  from  the  poor  little  dog  fully  justified  him 
in  his  decision. 

"The  dog  is  dead,"  said  one  of  the  clerks  in  a  solemn; 
voice.  "So  there  isn't  a  shadow  of  doubt  but  what  the 
cancfy  is  poisoned." 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

A      PAINFUL      SITUATION. 

To  say  that  Sam  was  disappointed  would  be  describing 
his  feelings  very  mildly,  but  in  an  instant  the  discom 
fiture  was  forgotten  in  a  new  sensation — he  had  suddenly 
thought  of  Mi^s  Marvin's  good  fortune. 

Suppose  she  had  kept  the  box  and  eaten  the  candy! 
The  thought  frightened  Sam  out  of  all  further  idea  of 
secrecy. 

In  an  instant  he  had  related  how  he  came  by  the  candy, 
and  the  clerks  were  looking  at  each  other  with  question 
ing  glances. 

1  'Tain't  the  first  box  of  candy  she's  had  sent  her,"  said 
one.  "I  heard  Fairbanks  say  that  she  got  them  often 
from  Jim  Denton." 

"Yes,  she's  cut  Mag  Brady  out  for  good  in  that  di 
rection.  Well,  why  shouldn't  she?  She's  new  and  as 
pretty  as  a  picture !" 

"But,  surely,  Jim  Denton  didn't  send  this  box,"  said 
the  detective.  "If  he's  sweet  on  the  girl  he  wouldn't 
want  to  poison  her." 

"Well,  hardly,  Tyler,"  laughed  another  of  the  lunchers. 

"Perhaps  he  intended  it  for  Mag,"  suggested  another. 
"If  he's  tired  of  the  girl  he  may  be  trying  to  fix  her." 

"Pshaw !  He  doesn't  have  to  resort  to  such  measures 
as  that!  WThat  could  a  poor  girl  dp  to  injure  Jim  Den 
ton?  No,  Tyler,  you'll  have  to  look  somewhere  else  for 
your  poisoner,  I  reckon,"  said  one  of  the  oldest  men  in 
the  whole  establishment. 

"Who  gave  you  the  box  in  the  first  place?"  asked  the 
detective  of  Sam.  "I  mean,  who  told  you  to  give  it  to 
Miss  Marvin?" 

Sam  spoke  up  promptly,  for  he  had  nothing  to  hide. 

"A  kid  gave  it  to  me  at  the  door — a  messenger  boy — 
who  said  he  was  in  a  tearing  hurry." 


A  Painful  Situation.  141 

"Did  you  sign  for  it?"  asked  the  detective,  locking 
sharply  at  the  boy. 

"Naw,  I  didn't  sign  nothin';  he  didn't  have  no  ticket." 

"Then  he  wasn't  a  messenger  at  all,"  was  the  reply, 
"and  you  are  a  big  dunce,  Sam  Watkins,  that  you  didn't 
know  "it!" 

"Well,  I  thought  it  was  straight,  anyhow,"  whispered 
the  boy.  "How  was  I  to  guess  that  some  one  was  tryin' 
to  pisen  Miss  Marvin  ?" 

Ben  Tyler  took  the  box  carefully  and  replaced  the 
wrapper ;  then,  telling  Sam  to  follow,  he  went  straight  to 
Mr.  Denton's  office. 

"Now,  Sam,  tell  Mr.  Denton  exactly  what  you  have  told 
me,"  said  the  detective,  after  he  had  stated  what  had  hap 
pened. 

Sam  repeated  his  story  without  the  slightest  variation. 
Mr.  Denton  cross-questioned  him,  but  there  was  nothing 
further  to  learn.  A  boy  had  handed  the  box  to  Sam  and 
told  him  to  give  it  to  Miss  Faith  Marvin. 

After  Mr.  Denton  and  the  detective  had  examined  the 
candy  carefully  they  held  a  consultation  as  to  what  should 
be  done  about  it. 

"We  must  have  it  analyzed  at  once,"  said  Mr.  Denton, 
anxiously.  "That  is  the  only  way  of  proving  the  matter." 

The  detective  nodded.  He  knew  that  came  first,  but  it 
needed  no  analysis  to  convince  him  that  the  candy  was 
poisoned. 

"Has  she  ever  received  a  similar  box  that  you  know 
of?"  asked  Mr.  Denton. 

The  detective  hesitated  for  a  moment.  He  hardly  knew 
how  to  tell  him. 

"I  believe  she  has,  sir,"  he  said,  after  a  minute ;  "but  I 
would  advise  you  to  ask  the  young  woman  herself,  for  I 
can  only  repeat  what  may  be  idle  gossip." 

"You  are  right,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  touching  an  electric 
button  and  sending  the  boy  who  answered  to  the  depart 
ment  for  Miss  Marvin. 

In  less  than  five  minutes  Faith  entered  the  office,  but 
before  he  came  the  detective  slipped  a  newspaper  over  the 
box  of  poisoned  candy,  and  a  nod  of  the  head  showed  that 
Mr.  Denton  understood  and  approved  of  the  movement. 


142  A  Painful  Situation. 

"Miss  Marvin,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  "I  wish  you  to  answer 
a  question:  Are  you  in  the  habit  of  receiving  boxes  o<f 
candy  as  presents  ?" 

With  Mr.  Gunning's  remarks  still  burning  in  her  brain, 
Faith  could  not  help  blushing  at  this  unexpected  question. 

She  finally  controlled  herself  and  answered  firmly: 

"I  have  never  received  but  two  boxes  since  I  entered 
your  employ,  sir — one  a  few  days  ago  and  the  other  this 
morning." 

"What  did  you  do  with  the  candy?"  asked  her  employer 
again. 

"I  gave  the  first  box  to  a  'cash  girl  who  works  in  my  de 
partment,  and  the  other  I  gave  to  Sam.  I  didn't  even 
open  them." 

"Why  did  you  not  open  them?"  asked  the  detective, 
sharply. 

Faith  glanced  at  Mr.  Denton  a  moment  before  replying. 

"Yes,  why  did  you  not  open  them  ?  Are  you  not  fond 
of  candy,  Miss  Marvin?" 

"I  like  it,  yes,  sir,"  was  Faith's  slow  answer;  "but  the 
gift  was  unexpected.  In  fact,  sir,  I  did  not  want  it,  and 
so  I  gave  away  the  candy  because  I  objected  to  the  giver." 

Faith's  color  had  risen  as  she  said  these  words,  and  she 
seemed  to  brace  herself  mentally  for  what  was  coming. 

Should  she  answer  the  next  question,  which  she  felt 
sure  would  follow  ?  It  was  a  moment  that  taxed  all  the 
decision  in  her  nature. 

Mr.  Denton  looked  at  her  smilingly  as  he  prepared  for 
the  question.  There  was  not  an  inkling  in  his  brain  of  the 
true  situation. 

"Do  you  object,  Miss  Marvin,  to  telling  us  who  sent  it? 
Really,  the  question  is  important,  or  I  would  not  ask  it." 

Faith  looked  from  one  to  the  other  and  clenched  her 
fingers  convulsively.  It  seemed  cruel  to  her  tx>  thus 
wound  the  feelings  of  another. 

"I  would  rather  not  tell,  please,  Mr.  Denton,"  she 
began. 

"Then  I  must  insist,"  said  the  gentleman,  "for,  as  I  said, 
the  matter  is  serious." 

"If  you  insist,  I  must  obey,"  said  Faith,  in  some  be- 


A  Painful  Situation.  143 

wilderment ;  "but  I  beg  you  will  forgive  me  for  saying 
that  your  son  sent  me  the  candy." 

Before  the  words  were  fairly  out  Mr.  Den  ton  was  pale 
with  horror.  The  shock  was  so  great  that  he  shuddered 
as  he  looked  at  her. 

''My  son/'  he  whispered,  hoarsely.  "Is  that  true,  Miss 
Marvin?  Is  my  son  one  of  the  rascals  who  annoy  the 
young  women  under  my  protection?  Is  he — 

He  could  get  no  farther — his  feelings  overcame  him. 

".I  am  afraid  he  is,"  said  Faith,  very  faintly,  "for  I  have 
given  him  no  right  to  be  sending  me  presents." 

Mr.  Denton  leaned  back  in  his  chair  with  one  hand  to 
his  brow.  The  detective's  ruse  in  covering  the  candy  had 
produced  results  as  startling  as  they  were  suspicious. 

If  Faith  had  known  of  the  poison  in  the  candy  no 
power  could  have  induced  her  to  tell  what  she  had,  but  up 
to  the  present  she  was  in  total  ignorance  of  the  matter, 
and  it  was  now  Mr.  Denton's  turn  to  dread  the  next  dis 
closures. 

"My  dear  child,"  he  said  at  last;  "I  have  something  to 
tell  you — something  that  will  shock  you  even  more  than 
your  news  shocks  me ;  it  is  this,  your  box  of  candy  to-day 
was  poisoned." 

Faith  stared  at  him  stupidly  for  the  space  of  a  second, 
then  the  full  situation  dawned  slowly  upon  her.  "If  that 
is  the  case,  your  son  did  not  send  it,  Mr.  Denton  !"  she 
cried  in  decided  accents,  "for  although  he  is  thoughtless 
and  careless  of  others,  he  would  shrink  from  doing  such  a 
deed  as  that,  even  though  he  had  a  motive,  which  he  cer 
tainly  hasn't!" 

"I  believe  you,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  in  a  tone  of  relief. 
"Whoever  sent  the  candy  is  making  my  son  the  scape 
goat  !  You  say  there  was  no  writing  on  the  package  when 
you  got  it,  young  man,  and  no  message  or  card  when  you 
opened  it  in  the  lunch-roarn?" 

"I  can  vouch  for  that,"  said  Tyler,  as  the  boy  shook  his 
head.  "I  was  watching  the  boy  when  he  opened  the 
candy." 

"Have  you  any  enemies  in  the  store  that  you  know  of, 
Miss  Marvin — any  one  who- is  awrare  that  my  son  has  sent 
you  candy?" 


144  A  Painful  Situation. 

Mr.  Denton  had  turned  toward  Faith  as  he  asked  the 
question. 

"More  enemies  than  friends,  I  am  afraid,  sir,"  was  the 
answer,  "for  although  I  have  tried  my  best  to  be  friendly 
with  the  girls,  they  all  treat  me  coldly ;  they  are  not  at  all 
like  Miss  Jennings." 

"It  is  strange  how  they 'dislike  and  distrust  each  other," 
said  Mr.  Denton,  sadly.  "But  I  suppose  it  is  because  they 
have  so  little  in  life,  they  are  constantly  filled  with  envy 
over  the  possessions  of  others." 

If  Faith  knew  this  to  be  a  compliment  she  did  not  show 
it.  So  far  it  had  not  seemed  to  her  that  the  girls  were 
envious  of  her  beauty. 

"Yon  may  go  now,  Sam,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  kindly, 
"and,  see  here,  young  man,  keep  your  mouth  shut  about 
this  matter !  Not  a  single  word  until  I  give  you  permis 
sion  !" 

Sam  promised  faithfully,  and  was  glad  to  do  so.  Since 
he  had  been  restored  to  his  position  he  had  silently  wor 
shiped  Mr.  Denton. 

"Now,  Miss  Marvin,  I  must  caution  you  as  I  did  Sam," 
said  the  gentleman.  "Say  nothing  until  the  officer  here 
has  ferreted  out  this  matter.  A  single  word  might  put  the 
criminal  on  guard,  and  a  single  utterance  may  delay  the 
triumph  of  justice." 

He  dismissed  the  young  girl  with  a  courteous  bow,  and 
was  surprised  that  she  still  lingered  in  a  pleading  manner. 

"Please,  Mr.  Denton,"  she  cried,  brokenly,  "don't  try 
to  ferret  the  matter  out !  I  beg  of  you,  sir,  let  it  drop  and 
keep  it  a  secret!  The  injury  to  your  son  is  no  greater 
than  to  me,  so  let  it  go1  no  further,  I  implore  it,  Mr. 
Denton!" 

"What,  pass  an  attempted  murder  by!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Denton  in  amazement.  "I  am  astonished,  Miss  Marvin, 
that  you  should  make  such  a  suggestion !" 

"But  I  do  make  it !"  cried  Faith  desperately,  "and  I  beg 
that  you  will  grant  it !  Surely  it  was  I  who  was  to  be  the 
victim.  I  should  be  allowed  to  forgive  the  culprit!" 

"On  what  grounds?"  asked  Mr.  Denton,  who  was  try 
ing  to  exercise  justice. 

"On  the  grounds  that  it  will  do  no  good  to  expose  or 


A  Painful  Situation.  145 

punish,"  cried  Faith  eagerly,  "for  a  person  who  could  do 
a  deed  like  that  can  be  saved  by  mercy,  but  not  by  jus 
tice!" 

Mr.  Denton  looked  thoughtfully,  but  he  could  not  ac 
cede  to  her  request.  He  did  not  believe  that  even  a 
Christian  could  ignore  the  laws  of  man  in  such  a  matter. 

"No,  Miss  Marvin,"  he  said,  firmly,  "the  criminal  must 
be  exposed.  It  is  the  only  way  to  stop  a  repetition  of  such 
cowardly  actions !" 

"It  was  a  woman  who  did  it  without  doubt !"  broke  in 
the  detective  sharply,  "and  she'll  do  it  again,  sure,  if  she 
isn't  punished !  A  woman  that  hates  like  that  will  stop  at 
nothing!" 

Faith  glanced  at  him  reproachfully,  but  did  not  answer. 
She  did  not  mean  by  word  or  look  to  betray  her  suspicions. 

"I  will  not  ask  you  to  state  whom  you  suspect,  Miss 
Marvin,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  "for  I  see  in  your  face  that 
you  would  not  tell  me ;  but  in  regard  to  my  son,  I  must 
talk  with  you  later.  You  are  under  my  protection,  and  not 
even  my  own  flesh  and  blood  shall  be  allowed  to  annoy 
you." 

"I  am  sure  it  is  not  his  wish  to  annoy  me,"  said  Faith. 
"He  just  doesn't  understand  that  some  girls  are  different 
from  others.  He  has  met  only  the  weak  ones  who  could 
not  withstand  his  flattery,  but  I  can  take  care  of  myself, 
sir,  or,  if  not,  God  will  protect  me." 

"Alas !  you  do  not  know  human  nature  yet,  my  child,1** 
said  Mr.  Denton,  gazing  at  her  with  an  expression  of  al 
most  fatherly  interest;  "but  pray  always  that  your  trust 
may  be  as  steadfast  as  now — that  it  will  never  be  shat 
tered  on  the  rocks  of  sorrow  and  misfortune." 

Faith  passed  out  of  his  presence  with  a  last  pleading 
glance — she  seemed  to  be  mutely  imploring  his  mercy  to 
ward  the  guilty. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A    VJS1TOR    AT    THE    FLAT. 

For  the  next  few  days  Faith  heard  no  more  about  the 
box  of  poisoned  candy,  but  she  was  not  allowed  to  entirely 
forget  it,  for  Ben  Tyler,  the  detective,  almost  haunted  the 
department. 

If  he  was  looking  for  the  culprit  there  he  did  not  show 
it,  for  he  laughed  and  chatted  with  all  the  girls  whenever 
he  had  an  opportunity. 

Maggie  Brady  had  come  back  to  find  her  "bargain 
counter"  gone,  but  Miss  Fairbanks  had  already  received 
orders  to  put  her  behind  the  regular  counter. 

This  brought  Faith  and  Maggie  nearer  together  than 
ever,  and  the  hatred  in  Maggie's  face  was  very  apparent, 
although  she  schooled  herself  to  be  fairly  pleasant. 

Faith  treated  her  as  kindly  as  possible,  but  for  all  that 
she  occasionally  caught  Maggie  glaring  at  her  between 
half  closed  lids  in  a  manner  that  thrilled  her  with  fresh 
suspicions. 

At  those  times  Faith  felt  a  nervousness  that  she  could 


control.  She  almost  dreaded  to  turn  her  back  upon 
the  morbid  young  woman. 

More  than  once  she  thought  of  Lou  Willis'  words  that 
"Maggie  Brady  was  a  sneak  and  a  coward,  who  waited 
until  dark  before  attacking  the  object  of  her  hatred." 

But  this  always  led  her  to  think  of  Lou  Willis,  herself, 
and  to  question  over  and  over  her  well  meant  decision  to 
try  and  help  the  girl  to  be  honest  by  not  reporting  her  dis 
honesty. 

She  "met  Lou  often  now,  and  always  talked  to  her  cor 
dially,  but  she  could  feel  that  she  made  slow  headway  into 
the  young  woman's  confidence. 

"You  and  I  are  so  different,"  Miss  Willis  said  one  day. 
"You  seem  to  enjoy  playing  the  proprieties,  while  I  just 
hate  them  !" 


A  Visitor  at  the  Flat.  147 

"But  I  don't  think  I  am  altogether  proper,  as  you  call 
it,"  Faith  answered.  "I  do  lots  of  things  that  are  not  con 
ventional  and  lots  that  are  unusual,  still  I  always  try  to 
follow  my  conscience." 

"Conscience,  what's  that?"  asked  Lou,  with  a  grimace. 
"They  made  me  without  one  I  guess,  and  I'm  mighty 
glad  of  it !" 

"But  surely  you  wish  to  do  right,  don't  you,  Miss 
Willis?" 

Faith's  eyes  were  eager  with  hope  as  she  asked  the 
question. 

"Oh,  what  difference  does  it  make  whether  I  do  or 
don't?  Do  what  you  please  and  don't  get  caught,  that's 
my  motto!"  laughed  the  girl. 

"But  you  surely  will  get  caught  some  day,"  said  Faith 
soberly.  "No  one  can  ignore  or  break  the  laws  of  God 
and  man  without  being  ultimately  brought  to  punishment 
or  repentance." 

"Well,  so  far  as  the  laws  of  God  go,  I'm  not  worrying," 
said  Lou.  with  a  shrug.  "He  made  me  as  I  am  and  as  He 
wanted  me,  I  suppose.  I'm  sure  I  hope  He's  satisfied  with 
His  creation !  If  He  ain't,  He  can  make  me  over  if  He's 
so  almighty  powerful,  but  when  it  comes  to  the  laws  of 
man,  why  that's  a  different  matter." 

"And  how  do  you  regard  those?"  asked  Faith,  trying1 
hard  not  to  be  shocked.  The  woman's  answer  came  like  a 
clap  of  thunder. 

"I  look  upon  man's  laws  as  my  natural  enemies,"  she 
said  sullenly.  "They  are  made  by  a  lot  of  people  who 
know  nothing  of  misery  or  starvation,  and  who  are  as  in 
competent  to  judge  my  actions  as  I  am  to  judge  theirs. 
In  other  words.,  man's  laws  are  all  institutions  of  the 
devil !  They  force  you  to  steal  and  then  punish  you  for 
doing  so!" 

After  a  little  of  this  reasoning  Faith  grew  more  help 
less  than  ever.  It  was  like  trying  to  melt  an  iceberg  with 
a  sunbeam  to  thaw  that  callous  nature.  Only  Lou's  vio 
lent  temper  and  intense  hatred  of  her  enemies  kept  the 
woman  from  being  adamant  in  matters  moral  or  spiritual. 

She  surprised  Faith  frequently  with  her  outbursts  of  re- 


148  A  Visitor  at  the  Flat. 

morse,  the  most  of  which  were  bestowed  in  the  direction 
of  Miss  Brady. 

'I  saw  her  smiling  at  you  to-day,"  she  said  to  Faith 
one  night.  "Look  out  for  her,  Miss  Innocent,  that's  when 
she's  most  likely  to  stab  you !" 

Faith  trembled  for  fear  that  Lou  would  hear  in  some 
way  of  the  box  of  poisoned  candy,  but  strangely  enough 
it  had  been  hushed  up  for  the  present. 

Some  power,  unknown  to  Faith,  had  stopped  every 
tongue  from  blabbing. 

"I  expect  it  is  some  of  Mr.  Denton's  good  work,"  she 
said  to  her  mother  one  night  as  they  sat  at  supper  with 
little  Dick  between  them.  "If  he  can  stop  the  gossip  in 
the  store  he  will  accomplish  a  great  deal,  for  I  believe  half 
of  the  bad  friendships  between  the  clerks  are  made 
through  idle  gossip." 

"He  is  doing  wonders,"  sighed  Mrs.  Marvin  in  answer. 
"At  last  I  am  hearing  of  what  looks  to  be  conscientious 
Christianity." 

"You  will  hear  of  much  more,  I  am  sure,  -  mother," 
said  Faith,  "for  I  am  told  that  Mr.  Forbes  intends  to  re 
main  in  the  firnij  and  that  looks  as  if  he  indorsed  Mr. 
Denton." 

"Or  awaiting  the  outcome,"  added  her  mother  quietly. 
She  could  never  quite  accept  her  daughter's  innocent 
reasoning. 

While  they  were  still  talking,  a  letter  was  delivered 
from  Mr.  Watkins. 

He  was  "doing  nicely  at  the  hospital,"  he  said,  and 
"on  the  straight  road  to  recovery,"  but  what  was  better 
still,  Mr.  Denton  was  coming  for  his  mother  and  had  as 
sured  him  that  his  position  at  the  store  was  still  open  to 
him. 

"Mr.  Forbes  must  certainly  acquiesce  to  that,  mother," 
said  Faith  again,  "for  Mr.  Watkins  was  his  office  assist 
ant  ;  Mr.  Denton  would  hardly  put  him  back  if  his  partner 
was  not  willing." 

Mrs.  Marvin  was  about  to  reply  when  their  bell  rang 
sharply.  Both  rose  from  the  table  and  went  into  the 
little  parlor.  A  moment  later  some  one  tapped  at  the 
door,  and  Faith  opened  it  promptly.  She  confronted  an 


A  Visitor  at  the  Flat.  149 

acquaintance ;  it  was  the  man  whom  she  had  met,  and  who 
had  written  her  the  note  signed  ''Cornelius  C.  Deering." 

For  an  instant  Faith  was  shocked  out  of  every  sem 
blance  of  hospitality.  She  stood  staring  at  the  man  as  if 
he  were  an  intruder. 

Like  a  flash  it  passed  through  her  mind  that  she  had 
not  answered  his  letter,  and  that  he  had  presumed  upon 
that  silence  to  force  his  presence  upon  her.  The  next 
instant  she  was  brought  swiftly  back  to  her  senses,  for 
the  man  was  staring  back  at  her  as  though  she  were  a 
ghost,  and  the  expression  on  his  face  was  almost  pitiful. 

"What  is  it,  sir?  What  has  happened?"  she  asked, 
taking  a  step  forward. 

"I  think  I  have  made  a  mistake,"  said  the  man,  huskily. 
"I  had  no  idea,  I  assure  you,  of  intruding  upon  you." 

"There  are  twenty  families  in  the  house,  so  your  mis 
take  is  natural,"  said  Faith  coldly.  "Pray  mention  the 
name  you  wish,  as  I  can  probably  direct  you." 

"I  am  looking  for  a  lady  and  her  daughter,"  said  the 
man  distinctly,  "the  lady  is  my  sister  whom  I  have  not 
seen  in  twenty  years.  She  is  a  widow,  and  her  name  is 
Mrs.  Adelaide  Marvin." 

With  a  gasp  of  horror  Faith  staggered  back  into  the 
room  just  as  her  mother  sprang  forward  with  a  joyous 
greeting. 

"Oh,  Charles,  my  brother!"  she  cried,  falling  on  his 
shoulder.  "How  I  have  longed  to  see  you,  you  naughty 
boy,  every  day  since  you  ran  away  from  us  in  dear  old 
England !" 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE     UNEXPECTED     FORTUNE. 

The  next  act  of  Faith's  was  one  of  noble  heroism.  In 
that  moment  of  misery  she  forced  herself  to  think  only  of 
her  mother,  thus  ignoring  her  own  position  in  the  matter 
entirely. 

Without  a  word  she  walked  back  into  the  kitchen,  leav 
ing  brother  and  sister  together,  and  taking  little  Dick  in 
her  lap,  tried  to  think  the  matter  over  as  calmly  as 
possible. 

It  was  an  embarrassing  position,  look  at  it  as  she 
would,  but  not  so  much  for  herself  as  for  the  man  whom 
she  now  knew  to  be  her  own  uncle. 

As  the  moments  passed  she  heard  her  mother's  voice 
grow  more  and  more  pleading,  and  although  she  could 
not  hear  what  was  being  said,  she  conjectured  rightly 
that  she  was  urging  her  brother  to  accede  to  something, 
while  he  as  steadily  refused  the  accession. 

Finally  the  hall  door  closed  and  Faith  heard  him  de 
scending  the  stairs.  In  an  instant  she  hurried  to  join  her 
mother  in  the  parlor. 

"Oh,  Faith !"  cried  her  mother,  "can  you  believe  it, 
dear,  it  was  brother  Charles,  alive  and  well,  when  I  had 
given  him  up  for  dead  over  and  over  again!  And,  Faith, 
you  will  never  have  to  work  another  day,  for  we  are  al 
most  rich,  dear  brother  says.  He  has  fifty  thousand  dol 
lars  in  trust  for  me  from  my  father's  estate,  which  has 
only  lately  been  settled !" 

"Oh,  mother,  is  it  possible?''  cried  Faith  in  surprise; 
"but  why  did  he  leave  so  soon  ?  You  had  surely  not  fin 
ished  talking!" 

Mrs.  Marvin  shook  her  head  in  a  very  perplexed 
manner. 

"He  seems  sadly  changed,  Faith.  I  don't  know  what 
ails  him.  I  begged  him  to  wait  and  see  my  daughter,  but 
he  refused  almost  angrily." 


The  Unexpected  Fortune.  151 

"'Oh,  well,  never  mind !"  replied  Faith  blushing-.  "He 
will  probably  come  back  again.  I  would  not  worry 
about  it,  mother." 

"But  I  can't  understand  it,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin,  sighing. 
"It  seems  unnatural  that  Charles  should  not  wish  to  see 
my  daughter." 

Faith  tried  to  cheer  her,  but  she  was  almost  crying-  her 
self.  Another  shock  like  this  would  have  brought  on 
hysterics.  It  had  been  a  dreadful  trial  to  her  to  keep  that 
strange  conversation  from  her  mother,  but  now  she  was 
profoundly  thankful  that  she  had  been  able  to  do  so,  and 
almost  involuntarily  she  whispered  a  prayer  that  no  word 
of  hers  might  ever  disturb  her  dear  mother's  confidence 
in  her  only  brother. 

The  thought  of  no  more  work  did  not  once  enter  her 
mind.  It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  her  mother  finally 
got  her  to  talk  about  their  good  fortune. 

"It  is  not  for  myself  that  1  am  most  thankful,"  said 
Mrs.  Marvin,  "but  I  am  so  glad  that  you  can  be  at  home 
once  more !  No  more  wearing  out  soul  and  body  in  the 
service  of  others." 

Faith  looked  at  her  thoughtfully  before  she  answered. 

"How  soon  can  we  have  the  money?"  she  asked. 

"Right  away,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin;  "it  is  invested  in  this 
city.  I  have  only  to  be  identified  at  the  bank  by  my 
brother." 

"I  am  very  glad,  mother,"  was  Faith's  smiling  reply, 
"for  now  we  can  hire  a  better  flat  and  have  a  woman  to 
do  the  work  and  look  after  everything,  but  about  my 
working,  dear,  please  don't  think  of  that  just  no\v — really 
I  seem  to  feel  a  little  bit  sorry  to  think  that  there  is  no 
need  of  my  working." 

"You  mean  that  you  are  interested  in  those  poor  girls, 
I  suppose."  said  her  mother.  "Well,  there  will  be  other 
ways  to  help  them  now — you  need  not  work  among 
them." 

"But  I  am  sure  that  it  is  the  best  way  to  be  of  use  to 
them,"  said  Faith  quickly.  "If  they  thought  I  had  money 
they~would  not  accept  me  seriously.  They  would  say, 
as  they  have  said  of  other  rich  women,  that  my  interest 


152  The  Unexpected  Fortune. 

is  a  'fad'  and  that  I  could  'afford  to  talk  religion  with  my 
pocket  full  of  money:  ' 

"You  have  learned  their  arguments  quickly,"  said  Mrs. 
Marvin  with  a  smile,  "but  listen,  Faith !  There  is  some 
one  in  the  hall !  It  is  possible  that  Charles  has  returned 
for  something." 

Faith  opened  the  door,  nervously,  but  a  look  of  relief 
soon  crossed  her  face.  The  second  caller  was  none  other 
than  young  Mr.  Denton. 

"Thank  goodness,  I've  found  you!"  exclaimed  the 
young  man  coolly.  "I've  been  wandering  around  these 
halls  for  the  past  half  hour,  either  I'm  awfully  stupid  or 
the  bells  are  all  wrong,  for  I've  rung  them  all  and  nobody 
has  answered !  You  should  supply  your  friends  with 
compasses  and  charts,  Miss  Marvin,  so  they  won't  get 
lost  when  they  come  to  see  you !" 

Faith  had  to  smile,  although  she  was  a  trifle  indignant. 
She  could  not  imagine  what  had  brought  the  young  man 
to  her  apartments. 

"Did  you  wish  to  see  me  about  anything?"  she  asked 
bluntly  as  her  thoughts  flew  instinctively  to  the  poisoned 
candy.  "If  you  do,  please  come  in,  and  I  will  be  glad  to 
listen." 

"I  do,  indeed,"  responded  the  young  man.  "I  should 
not  have  dreamed  of  intruding  upon  you  without  a  very 
good  reason." 

Faith  was  almost  sure  it  was  the  candy  now,  although 
she  had  been  assured  by  his  father  that  lie  had  been  told 
nothing  about  it. 

As  she  introduced  him  to  her  mother,  she  was  anxious 
and  excited,  and  one  conjecture  as  to  his  errand  followed 
swiftly  after  another.  When  they  were  seated  Mr.  Den- 
ton  started  at  once  on  his  errand,  and  as  he  talked  he 
gazed  at  Faith  earnestly,  as  though  trying  to  read  her 
emotion. 

"My  errand  is  a  purely  personal  one,"  he  began,  "and 
you  ladies  may  think  it  a  selfish  one  also,  but  the  fact  is 
I  have  come  for  a  little  assistance.  I  want  you,  Miss  Mar 
vin,  to  help  me  reason  with  my  father." 

Faith  made  an  exclamation  of  unfeigned  surprise. 


The  Unexpected  Fortune.  153 

"I  don't  understand,"  she  said  slowly.  "What  is  wrong 
with  your  father,  Mr.  Denton?" 

''That's  what  I'd  like  to  know/'  was  the  emphatic  an 
swer,  "but  between  you  and  I,  it's  my  opinion  that  he's 
crazy !" 

Mrs.  Marvin  and  Faith  both  stared  at  him  curiously, 
for  this  time  there  was  more  sadness  than  disrespect  in 
his  language. 

"Listen  to  this,"  he  went  on  quickly,  "and  see  if  I  am 
not  right !  I  will  put  the  situation  before  you  without  a 
particle  of  exaggeration." 

"Wait!"  said  Mrs.  Marvin.  "What  does  all  this  con 
cern  us,  sir?  Are  you  not  doing  wrong  to  talk  to 
strangers  about  your  father's  business?" 

A  smile  passed  over  the  young  man's  features,  and 
he  turned  toward  Faith  with  a  glance  of  admiration. 

"I  think  not,"  he  said  shortly,  "and  for  this  simple  rea 
son — he  admires  your  daughter  above  any  girl  that  he 
has  met;  she  has  influenced  him  in  the  past  and  can  in 
fluence  him  again  in  the  future.  And  he  is  sadly  in  need 
of  influence,  I  can  assure  you,"  he  continued,  "for,  at  the 
present  moment,  he  is  on  the  verge  of  two  things,  they 
are  the  verge  of  bankruptcy  and  the  verge  of  insanity!'' 

Mrs.  Marvin  looked  shocked,  but  Faith's  brow  became 
clearer.  It  was  coming  to  her  now  what  was  troubling 
young  Denton. 

The  young  man  went  on  with  hardly  a  perceptible 
pause,  his  face  growing  more  handsome  and  manly  as  he 
became  interested  and  excited. 

"My  father  to-day  is  worth  a  million  dollars,  a  large 
percentage  of  it  having  been  made  in  his  present  busi 
ness.  He  is  prominent  both  in  social  and  business  circles, 
and  up  to  the  present  his  ability  has  never  been  ques 
tioned.  To-day  he  has  changed  all  this  as  far  as  it  is  pos 
sible  to  change  it  in  the  short  period  of  a  week.  He  is 
making  arrangements  to  transact  his  business  on  what 
he  calls  a  'religious  basis/  which  means  that  he  intends  to 
transact  worldly  affairs  by  heavenly  methods,  and  it  does 
not  take  much  intelligence  to  see  where  he  will  terminate. 
He  will  be  a  bankrupt  in  five  years,  if  he  isn't  sooner,  fou 


154  The  Unexpected  Fortune. 

no  fortune  in  the  world  would  float  such  an  enterprise. 
Now,  I  can't  see  this  go  on  without  making  an  effort  to 
stop  it,  but  as  I  have  little  or  no  influence  with  him  my 
self,  t  have  come  to  Miss  Marvin  to  ask  her  to  help  me." 
"What  do  you  wish  my  daughter  to  do?"  Mrs.  Mar 
vin  asked  the  question  with  a  little  amusement. 

"I  hardly  know,"  was  his  honest  answer,  ''but  if  she 
could  just  induce  him  to  think  that  God  did  not  expect 
such  a  sacrifice  and  that  it  was  only  necessary  to  do  good 
in  moderation,  it  might  act  as  a  restraint  on  his  wholesale 
generosity,  put  a  brake,  so  to  speak,  on  his  downward 
course  to  failure." 

"But  I  think  it  an  upward  course  to  victory!"  said 
Faith  with  enthusiasm.  "And  you  have  no  idea  how  I 
honor  your  father  for  taking  it !  Just  think,  Mr.  Denton, 
what  good  his  money  can  do !  Why,  it  is  a  duty  which  he 
owes  by  right  to  God,  for  who  else  gave  him  the  ability 
to  make  all  this  money  ?" 

"Do  you  think  God  gave  it  to  him?"  asked  Mr.  Den- 
ton,  quickly.  "Well,  I  should  have  said  that  his  most  suc 
cessful  methods  were  invented  by  the  devil !" 

"Then  it  is  time  to  put  his  ill-gotten  wealth  to  good  ac 
count !  I  am  astonished,  Mr.  Denton,  that  you  should 
wish  him  to  retain  it !" 

Faith's  eyes  were  fairly  blazing  now,  but  the  look  of 

admiration  only  deepened  upon  young  Denton's  features. 

There  was  a  cry  from  little  Dick  in  the  kitchen  just 

then,  and  Mrs.  Marvin  rose  hastily  and  excused  herself 

to  go  to  him. 

"Miss  Marvin,"  urged  the  young  man,  "don't  be  harsh 
in  your  judgment,  please!  Remember  I  have  been  used 
to  luxury  all  my  life.  My  mother  has  been  used  to  it — 
we  cannot  bear  to  lose  it." 

He  bent  toward  the  young  girl  as  he  said  the  words, 
and  as  Faith  saw  the  eagerness  in  his  face,  a  great  wave 
of  pity  surged  up  within  her. 

He  was  thoughtless,  even  wicked,  but  he  was  not  alto 
gether  to  blame.  The  very  luxury  that  he  craved  was  re 
sponsible  for  it. 

"I  would  like  to  help  you  if  I  could,"  she    said    very 


The  Unexpected  Fortune.  155 

gently,  "but  you  surely  would  not  have  me  go  against 
my  own  conscience." 

"No,  I  don't  know  that  I  would,"  said  young  Denton 
slowly,  "for  if  you  did  you  would  not  be  what  you  are 
just  now,  the  embodiment  of  all  that  is  best  and  sweetest 
in  woman." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
MAG     BRADY'S     ARREST. 

There  was  no  mistaking  young  Denton's  words  or 
looks.  Faith  could  not  have  been  a  woman  and  not  un 
derstood  their  meaning. 

For  a  second  her  lids  fell  in  a  tell-tale  manner,  and  her 
cheeks  paled  and  reddened  with  each  alternating  emotion. 

She  knew  she  must  resent  the  young  man's  words  at 
once,  but  her  confusion  of  the  moment  rendered  her  pow 
erless  to  do  so. 

Suddenly  a  thought  of  Maggie  Brady  flitted  across  her 
brain.  It  gave  her  strength  and  courage  to  resist  the 
spell  that  was  upon  her. 

"Your  words  are  not  sincere,  I  am  afraid,  Mr.  Denton," 
she  managed  to  say.  "You  only  think  to  flatter  me  as 
you  have  numbers  of  others." 

The  young  man  leaned  back  quickly,  and  a  flush  of 
shame  mounted  to  his  brow. 

''God  forbid !"  he  said,  sharply.  "No,  you  wrong  me, 
Miss  Marvin!  As  wicked  as  I  arn,  I  would  not  insult 
you." 

"But  you  did  once!"  said  Faith,  bravely.  "The  first 
day  I  was  in  the  store !  You  bowed  and  smiled  at  me  as 
brazenly  as — as  though  you  did  not  respect  me !" 

It  was  out  at  last,  and  Faith's  mind  was  relieved.  She 
had  never  quite  been  able  to  forget  that  occurrence. 

"That  was  because  I  did  not  know  you,"  explained 
young  Denton,  lamely.  "I  thought  you  might  be  willing 
to  flirt  a  little — no  one  else  ever  refused  me." 

"Is  it  possible?" 

Faith  asked  the  question  in  out  and  out  amazement. 
She  could  see  by  the  young  man's  face  that  he  was  not 
lying. 

"The  other  girls  were  always  glad  enough  to  flirt  a  lit 
tle,"  he  went  on.  "You  see,  they  knew  I  had  money, 


Mag  Brady's  Arrest.  157 

and  was  willing  to  spend  it — you  can't  blame  them,  Miss 
Marvin ;  they  were  a  poverty-stricken  lot !  It's  no  won 
der  that  the  prospect  of  a  square  meal  and  a  little  recrea 
tion  tempted  them/' 

"No,  I  do  not  blame  them,"  said  Faith,  very  decidedly ; 
"but  I  do  blame  you,  Mr.  Denton ;  it  was  wicked  of  you 
to  tempt  them." 

The  young  man's  face  fell,  and  he  shifted  his  position 
uneasily. 

"We  can't  all  be  sincere,"  he  said,  rather  irritably,  "and 
what  seems  right  to  one  often  seems  wrong  to  another. 
I've  been  careless,  I  admit,  and  perhaps  a  little  wicked, 
but  don't  condemn  me  utterly,  Miss  Marvin.  Why  not 
try  to  reform  me  ?" 

Faith  glanced  at  him  sharply.  There  was  not  a  trace 
of  mirth  in  his  face.  It  was  evident  that  he  had  asked 
the  question  in  earnest. 

"I  wish  I  could,"  she  answered,  smiling  a  little ;  "but  if 
you  really  wish  to  reform,  you  can  do  it  yourself,  Mr. 
Denton.  You  have  only  to  pray,  and  your  God  will  aid 
you." 

"But  I  lack  faith,"  he  said,  quickly.  "I  don't  see 
things  as  you  do,  and,  besides,  'the  prayers  of  the  wicked 
are  an  abomination  unto  the  Lord ;'  you  see,  I  know  that 
much  abou-t  the  Bible,  Miss  Marvin !" 

"But  you  will  be  wicked  no  longer  when  you  go  to 
Him  in  the  right  spirit,"  said  Faith,  brightly.  "Oh,  go  to 
Him,  Mr.  Denton.  It  will  give  such  pleasure  to  your 
father!" 

"I'm  afraid  I  can't,"  said  young  Denton,  rising.  "I 
have  one  of  those  natures  that  cannot  accept  the  marvel 
ous,  and,  further,  I'm  too  great  a  sinner  to  reform,  I 
guess;  but  please  don't  forget  me  because  of  that,  Miss 
Marvin.  I  would  give  more  than  I  can  tell  to-  have  you 
think  well  of  me." 

Again  the  admiring  glance  rested  upon  the  fair  girl's 
face,  and  it  took  all  Faith's  composure  to  reply  sedately. 

"I  shall  be  glad  to  think  well  of  you,"  she  said,  a  little 
shyly;  "but  you  have  much  to  undo,  I'm  afraid,  before 
that  can  be  accomplished." 


158  Mag  Brady's  Arrest. 

"You  are  thinking  now  of  what  you  have  heard  of  me," 
said  the  young  man,  quickly. 

"I  am  thinking  of  what  I  have  seen,"  was  Faith's  de 
cided  answer,  "and  I  cannot  think  well  of  you  when  I 
look  at  poor  Maggie  Brady." 

"Don't  mention  her  name!"  cried  her  caller,  almost 
angrily.  "It  is  bad  enough  for  you  to  have  to  work  with 
her,  but  it  is  worse  to  know  that  you  are  wasting  your 
thoughts  on  her !'" 

"Mr.  Denton,  I  am  ashamed  of  you !"  Faith's  voice 
rose  instinctively.  "How  dare  you  speak  disrespectfully 
of  one  of  your  own  victims  ?" 

A  half  sneer  passed  over  the  young  man's  face. 

"I  thought  she'd  been  telling  a  lot  of  tales,"  he  said, 
fiercely.  "No  doubt  she  has  blackened  my  character 
through  and  through !  I  can  never  hope  to  overcome 
your  impression  of  me,  Miss  Marvin!" 

"On  the  contrary !"  said  Faith,  hotly,  "she  has  never 
spoken  of  you  to  me !  All  that  she  ever  said  of  you  was 
said  on  those  two  occasions  in  your  presence.  But  she 
doesn't  have  to  speak,  for  I  can  see  it  in  her  face.  That 
girl's  soul  is  on  your  conscience.  You  are  responsible  for 
her,  Mr.  Denton !" 

Young  Denton  turned  and  looked  at  her  searchingly. 

"So  long  as  you  believe  that,  there  is  no  hope  for  me," 
he  muttered. 

The  next  moment  he  bowed  silently  and  left  the  apart-1 
ment.  When  he  had  gone  Faith  stood  a  moment  almost 
trembling  with  excitement.  She  did  not  even  try  to  ex-j 
plain  her  many  conflicting  emotions.  This  much  she 
knew — she  pitied  him  exceedingly,  he  was  so  young,  so- 
weak — she  could  reason  no  further. 

When  her  mother  came  in  she  was  crying  softly.  The; 
events  of  the  day  had  completely  unnerved  her. 

Mrs.  Marvin  finally  succeeded  in  comforting  her  a  lit-; 
tie,  and  then  followed  plans  for  the  future,  both  for  them 
selves  and  others. 

They  decided  to  move  as  soon  as  possible,  so  that  they 
could  accommodate  little  Dick  in  a  more  satisfactory! 
manner,  and  also  have  a  room  for  a  servant  and  one  for] 
visitors. 


Mag  Brady's  Arrest.  159 

It  was  a  pleasant  programme,  and  its  arrangement 
cheered  Mrs.  Marvin  wonderfully.  She  was  one  of  those 
women  who  droop  under  adversity,  but  who  spring  up 
like  a  flower  at  the  first  gleam  of  sunshine. 

Contrary  to  her  wishes,  Faith  insisted  on  going  to  the 
store  the  next  morning.  She  was  so  decided  about  the 
matter  that  Mrs.  Marvin  dared  not  argue. 

"I  shall  say  nothing  about  our  fortune,"  she  said,  as  she 
started,  "until  I  see  exactly  how  it  will  affect  my  position 
as  a  helper." 

The  new  cloak-room  was  swarming  with  girls  when 
she  arrived,  and  as  soon  as  Lou  Willis  saw  her  she 
shouted  to  her : 

"Hello!  Miss  Marvin!  have  you  heard  the  news? 
Lightning  has  strugk  downstairs,  and  it  is  raining  sur 
prises  !" 

"It's  a  pity  lightning  didn't  strike  the  jewelry  counter," 
called  another  voice;  "but  if  it  did,  I  suppose  it  would 
find  Lou  insulated!  You'd  go  on  talking  just  the  same; 
ain't  that  so,  Willis?" 

"I  talk  when  I  have  anything  to  say,"  was  the  girl's 
curt  answer,  "but  at  present,  if  you  please,  I  am  address 
ing  Miss  Marvin !" 

"Dear  me,  how  respectful  we  are  to  some  folks !"  was 
the  mocking  reply.  "How  did  you  manage,  Lou,  to  get 
that  handle  before  the  Marvin?" 

"Oh,  do  shut  up !"  was  Lou's  emphatic  reply.  "I  want 
to  tell  my  news  and  you  are  not  giving  me  the  chance! 
They  say  that  old  Forbes  has  gone  home  sick !  He  can't 
stand  the  racket!" 

"What  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  Faith,  as  she  hung  up  her 
bat. 

"Why,  the  boss'  religious  attack  has  upset  him  com 
pletely — knocked  him  out  in  one  round — and  I  don't 
much  wonder.  How  on  earth  could  you  expect  any  sane 
man  to  look  on  at  the  changes  in  this  store  and  not  shake 
in  his  shoes  if  he  has  money  invested  in  the  business?" 

"What  has  Mr.  Denton  done  now?"  asked  Faith,  with 
great  interest. 

"Hired  a  lot  of  new  hands,  for  one  thing,"  was  Lou's 


l6o  Mag  Brady's  Arrest. 

prompt  answer,  "and  raised  the  salaries  of  more  than  half 
the  clerks  in  the  building!" 

"Is  that  so,  really?"  asked  a  dozen  voices. 

"Well,  as  this  happens  to  be  my  truthful  day,  you  can 
depend  upon  it,"  said  Miss  Willis,  laughing.  "Oh,  I 
tell  you,  girls,  the  millennium  is  coming !  I  expect  he'll 
provide  us  soon  with  private  carriages  to  ride  to  busi 
ness  !" 

"Well,  he  has  one  of  his  own,"  remarked  Miss  Jones, 
from  the  distance.  "He  might  at  least  hire  a  stage  for 
us  in  stormy  weather." 

"An  excellent  idea!"  exclaimed  Faith,  impulsively; 
"only,  as  we  live  so  far  apart  and  there  are  so  many  of  us, 
I'm  afraid  the  suggestion  is  a  little  impracticable." 

"Then  let  him  provide  a  dozen,"  cried  another  girl, 
laughing.  "Wliat  is  the  cost  of  a  dozen  stages  to  a  con 
cern  worth  millions?" 

"Oh,  girls!"  cried  cash  girl  Number  83,  as  she  came 
bounding  in,  "what  do  you  think  has  happened?  Mag 
Brady  has  been  arrested !  They  say  she's  been  trying  to 
poison  Miss  Marvin!" 

Faith  sank  down  in  a  heap  on  one  of  the  new  sofas 
which  Mr.  Denton  had  lately  provided  for  their  comfort. 

It  was  out  at  last,  in  spite  of  their  caution.  For  a 
moment  she  was  stunned  by  the  suddenness  of  it. 

The  clerks  all  clustered  ^around  her  and  began  asking 
questions,  but  she  was  too  dazed  to  even  think  of  answer 
ing  any  of  them. 

"I  knew  she'd  do  it!"  cried  Lou  Willis,  exultantly. 
"I've  warned  you  against  her  a  dozen  times,  Miss  Marvin, 
but  that's  what  you  get  for  riling  a  jealous  woman !" 

"She'll  have  a  chance  to  get  over  her  jealousy  now/' 
said  Miss  Jones.  "If  they  can  prove  that  on  her  they'll 
send  her  to  prison !" 

Faith  staggered  to  her  feet  and  faced  them  resolutely. 

"They  shall  never  prove  it,  if  I  can  help  it,"  she  said> 
finally,  '"for  I  am  sorry  for  Miss  Brady,  and  I'm  going- 
to  trv  and  save  her!" 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

ANOTHER   TALK    WITH    THE)   INSPECTOR. 

As  Faith  rushed  from  the  cloak-room  she  came  sud 
denly  upon  Ben  Tyler,  who  was  standing1  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs  leading  down  into  the  private  offices. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Tyler,  do  please  tell  me  about  poor  Miss 
Brady !"  she  cried,  eagerly.  "I  have  only  just  heard  that 
she  has  been  arrested!" 

The  detective  smiled  grimly  at  the  eagerness  in  her 
manner,  but  he  was  nothing  loath  to  relate  his  prowess. 

"She's  arrested  all  right !  I  nabbed  her  last  night,"  he* 
said,  promptly,  "but  she  had  covered  her  tracks  pretty 
well.  I  had  a  deuce  of  a  time  to  prove  it !" 

Faith  was  still  staring  at  him  speechlessly,  but  with 
questioning  eyes.  She  could  not  help  feeling  some  curi 
osity  about  the  details  of  the  story. 

"First,  I  had  to  find  the  boy  that  brought  the  candy  to 
the  store,"  went  on  the  detective;  "then  I  traced  it  step 
by  step  until  I  reached  Mag  Brady.  Her  brother  is  in  a 
drug-store ;  it  was  through  him  she  got  the  poison." 

"And  where  is  she  now?"  asked  Faith,  beginning  to 
tremble. 

"In  jail,  where  she  belongs !"  was  the  heartless  answer. 
"Mr.  Denton  and  I  went  to  court  this  morning  and  had 
her  locked  up  for  safe  keeping." 

"Oh,  I  didn't  think  he  would  do  it!"  said  Faith,  almost 
ready  to  cry.  "It  is  cruel,  Mr.  Tyler !  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry 
for  Miss  Brady !" 

"Well,  I  wouldn't  be  sorry  for  a  person  who  tried  to 
kill  me,"  said  the  detective,  sneeringly ;  "but,  then,  I'm  no 
saint  like  you,  Miss  Marvin." 

Faith  looked  at  him  quickly  and  could  see  a  sneer  on 
his  face.  It  was  plain  that  he  had  no  special  respect  for 
saintliness. 

When  she  reached  her  department  she  found  every  one 


162      Another  Talk  With  the  Inspector. 

talking  excitedly,  and,  of  course,  Miss  Brady's  arrest  was 
the  topic  of  conversation. 

"Here  she  comes ! — here  comes  Mag's  rival !"  cried 
Miss  Jones,  when  she  saw  Faith  coming. 

The  "head  o>f  stock"  had  got  down  before  her  and  was 
beginning  to  arrange  her  goods  upon  the  counter. 

"So  she  tried  to  kill  you,  did  she?"  asked  Miss  Fair 
banks,  coining  up.  "Well,  all  I've  got  to  say  is,  the  Lord 
deliver  me  from  any  dealings  with  a  jealous  woman!" 

Faith  set  her  lips  firmly  and  did  not  speak.  She  was 
determined  to  shield  Maggie  in  every  way  possible. 

"I  thought  your  habits  would  lead  you  into  trouble, 
Miss  Marvin,"  said  Mr.  Gunning,  insolently.  He  was 
leaning  over  the  counter,  which  was  as  near  as  he  could 
get  to  her.  3till  Faith  did  not  answer,  but  went  on  with 
her  work.  There  were  no  customers  in  yet,  so  she  had  no 
haven  of  refuge  to  fly  to. 

"How's  the  mash  with  the  nigger  servant?"  asked  Miss 
Jones,  suddenly.  "Has  he  got  a  wife,  Miss  Marvin? 
You'd  better  look  out  if  he  has !  You  know  Mag  Brady 
isn't  the  only  jealous  woman  in  creation!" 

Faith  looked  at  her  steadily  before  she  answered,  and 
for  a  second  the  treacherous  eyes  wavered  and  Miss 
Jones  felt  decidedly  uncomfortable. 

"Neither  Miss  Brady  nor  any  other  woman  has  cause 
to  be  jealous  of  me,"  said  Faith,  plainly.  "I  have  never 
wronged  any  human  being,  and  I  cannot  understand, 
Miss  Jones,  why  you  insist  upon  taunting  me !" 

"Oh,  don't  mind  her,  Miss  Marvin,  she  can't  help  it,'* 
cried  Miss  Fairbanks.  "She's  been  crossed  in  love,  and 
it  makes  her  spiteful !" 

There  was  a  shout  from  every  girl  that  had  heard  the 
buyer's  words,  and  for  once  the  tables  were  turned  upon 
Faith's  tormentor. 

At  about  ten  o'clock  several  new  clerks  entered  the  de 
partment,  Miss  Fairbanks  assigning  them  places  and  giv 
ing  them  their  instructions. 

"Now  one  of  you  girls  can  go  to  the  cloak-room  and 
rest  for  twenty  minutes/'  she  said  to  Miss  Jones  and 
Faith.  "It's  Mr.  Denton's  orders  that  you  are  not  to  be 
on  your  feet  so  steadily." 


Another  Talk  With  the  Inspector.       163 

"You  go  first,"  said  Faith,  turning  to  Miss  Jones, 
pleasantly. 

The  woman  blushed  a  little  and  left  the  counter  sul 
lenly. 

"Miss  Fairbanks!"  called  Faith,  as  soon  as  she  had 
disposed,  of  several  customers,  "please  come  over  here  a 
minute;  I  want  to  speak  to  you!" 

Miss  Fairbanks  came  O'ver  and  stood  close  by  the  coun 
ter.  She  felt  sure  that  Faith  was  about  to  confide  about 
Miss  Brady. 

"Miss  Fairbanks,  I  want  you  to  help  me."  the  young 
girl  whispered.  "I  want  you  to  help  me  get  better  ac 
quainted  with  Miss  Brady,  and,  if  possible,  show  me  a 
way  to  win  her  confidence." 

"For  mercy's  sake,  what  for?"  asked  the  buyer,  in 
amazement. 

"Simply  to  give  me  a  chance  to  prove  my  innocence, 
far  one  thing ;  I  want  her  to  know  that  I  never  even  had 
the  desire  to  see  Mr.  James  Denton,  much  less  to  flirt 
with  him!" 

"Is  that  true?"  asked  the  buyer,  gazing  at  Faith  very 
seriously. 

The  color  mounted  swiftly  to  the  cheeks  and  brow  of 
the  young  girl,  but,  without  turning  her  eyes,  she  an 
swered  : 

"It  is  quite  true.  Miss  Fairbanks." 
"That  would  mean  that  we'd  have  to  go  to  jail  to  see 
her,"  said  the  buyer,  slowly,  "and  I  confess  I'm  not  in 
love  with  that  sort  of  visiting." 

"But  surely  it  won't  harm  us,"  urged  Faith,  very  eager 
ly.  "You  go  first,  Miss  Fairbanks,  and  tell  her  that  I 
wish  to  see  her;  if  I  should  go  first,  I'm  afraid  she 
wouldn't  see  me." 

"Very  well,  I'll  do  it,"  said  Miss  Fairbanks,  after  a 
minute.  "I'm  sorry  for  the  girl,  and  I'm  not  ashamed  to 
admit  it." 

"Oh,  thank  you,  Miss  Fairbanks,  and  do  try  to  make 

her  see  me!"  cried  Faith.     "I'm  sure  we  can  do  some 

good,  even  if  it  is  only  by  showing  her  that  we  love  her." 

"My  goodness!     You  don't  love  her,   do  you,   Miss 


1 64      Another  Talk  With  the  Inspector. 

Marvin?  Why,  from  all  accounts  the  girl  intended  to 
kill  you !" 

"Nevertheless,  I  love  her — in  a  way,"  said  Faith.  "I 
can't  forget  entirely  that  she  is  only  an  erring  sister." 

"Well,  you  are  a  good  girl,  if  ever  there  lived  one," 
said  Miss  Fairbanks.  "You  are  teaching  me  a  whole  lot 
about  practical  Christianity." 

"Goodness, 'that  which  is  not  practical — is  poor  stuff," 
said  Faith,  bitterly.  "I  wouldn't  be  a  hypocrite  for  all  the 
world,  and  that  is  exactly  what  sham  goodness  amounts 
to;  still,  I  don't  mean  to  say,  Miss  Fairbanks,  that  I've 
always  lived  up  to  what  I  knew  was  my  duty !  I've  made 
lots  of  mistakes,  but  I  was  always  sorry !" 

She  sighed  a  little  as  she  turned  away,  but  her  sad 
ness  soon  changed  to  smiles  as  she  saw  Miss  Dean  stand 
ing  beside  her  counter. 

"How  do  you  do,  Miss  Marvin?"  asked  the  lady  in 
spector,  cordially.  "I  am  delighted  to  see  you  again,  for 
I  was  afraid  I  was  never  going  to!  Business  is  so  very 
brisk,"  she  said,  laughingly,  as  she  saw  Faith's  question 
ing  expression.  "Why,  I'm  up  to  my  ears  in  modern 
improvements !  I'm  a  carpenter,  an  engineer  and  a  full- 
fledged  plumber !" 

"Do  you  have  to  know  a  lot  about  all  such  things?" 
asked  Faith. 

"Well,  not  a  lot,  exactly,  but  just  enough.  We  have  to 
know  when  stores  are  lacking  in  either  of  the  things  men 
tioned." 

"There  have  been  many  changes  since  you  were  here," 
said  Faith,  slyly.  "We  have  a  new  cloak-room  now ;  you 
just  ought  to  see  it!" 

"Oh,  I  have  seen  it,  you  can  be  sure!"  said  the  lady, 
dryly.  "I've  been  up  there  sniffing  around  and  inspect 
ing  every  corner,  and  I'm  glad  to  say  that  I  quite  ap 
prove  of  it." 

They  both  laughed  heartily,  but  Faith  was  not  quite 
satisfied. 

"Can  you  see  any  changes  that  you  did  not  suggest, 
Miss  Dean?"  she  asked,  a^  little  timidly.  "Are  there  no 
improvements  that  look  to  you  like  radical  reforms,  sug 
gested  by  the  divine  spirit  of  love  for  humanity?" 


Another  Talk  With  the  Inspector.      165 

"Not  one !"  said  Miss  Dean,  promptly.  "I  see  nothing 
of  the  sort!  There  are  no  changes  here  that  could  not 
have  been  effected  by  the  law  of  common  decency!  I 
should  feel  sorry  to  think  that  a  man  could  not  do  what 
was  right  without  a  divine  suggestion.  It  would  speak  ill 
of  his  sense  of  honor  or  justice  toward  humanity." 

She  paused  a  moment  and  then  began  speaking  more 
slowly.  There  was  no  resentment  in  her  tones ;  she  was 
merely  reasoning  the  situation. 

"I  can  see  that  the  firm  of  Denton,  Day  &  Co.  has  come 
to  a  crisis  in  its  business  career,  owing  to  the  illogical 
stand  recently  taken  by  one  of  its  members.  From  a  pay 
ing  investment  it  has  turned  into  a  philanthropical  insti 
tution,  and  so  long  as  it  can  live  as  such  it  will  be  a  great 
benefit  to  hundreds.  Further  than  this,  I  hear  that  one 
man  has  made  an  unjust  fortune  by  withdrawing  from  the 
firm  and  that  another  partner  is  watching  like  an  eagle  for 
an  opportunity  to  swoop  down  and  settle  his  talons. 
Then,  again,  I  understand  from  a  reliable  source  that 
Mr.  Denton's  wife  is  fast  going  insane  from  worry,  and 
that  his  scapegrace  son  is  growing  gray-headed  over  the 
outlook  for  his  fortune.  Again,  Mr.  Denton  himself, 
who  has  wrought  all  these  changes,  is  being  looked  upon 
by  wise  men  as  a  driveling  idiot,  or,  what  is  about  as  bad, 
a  religious  fanatic,  whose  sudden  determination  to  'be 
good  has  sealed  the  doom  of  his  fortune." 

As  Miss  Dean  was  speaking  she  looked  steadily  at 
Faith.  She  was  watching  to  see  if  her  words  had  any 
effect,  or  if  the  girl  was  really  incapable  of  understand 
ing  the  situation. 

There  was  not  a  cloud  of  apprehension  upon  the  fair 
girl's  brow,  yet  her  eye  was  clear ;  she  had  comprehended 
every  syllable. 

"You  approve  of  all  this?"  asked  Miss  Dean,  in 
despair. 

Faith's  answer  was  merely  a  verse  of  Scripture,  which 
she  repeated  so  firmly  and  with  such  intense  eagerness 
that  the  low  voice  fairly  vibrated  with  repressed  emotion. 

"And  be  ye  not  conformed  to  this  world ;  but  be  ye 
transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your  souls,  that  ye  may 


1 66      Another  Talk  With  the  Inspector. 

prove  what  is  that  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect  will 
of  God." 

"I  am  answered,  as  I  fully  expected  to  be,"  said  Miss 
Dean,  quietly.  "It  is  positively  wonderful,  that  faith  of 
yours.  Why,  it  amotmts  to  actual  exaltation  of  spirit!" 

She  shook  hands  with  Faith  and  said  good-by.  They 
were  the  extremes  of  goodness,  accomplishing  the  same 
ends,  but  each  working  on  a  theory  incomprehensible  to 
the  other. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII, 

tf  A  I  T  H      VISITS      MAGGIE. 

The  next  few  days  were  busy  ones  for  Faith,  for,  be 
sides  her  work  at  the  store,  she  helped  pack  every  even 
ing,  and  tried  in  every  way  possible  to  enter  into  the 
spirit  of  the  new  arrangements  for  living,  which  her 
mother  was  planning  so  enthusiastically. 

At  last  they  were  settled  in  a  handsome  flat  in  a  neigh 
borhood  where  Faith  was  not  afraid  to  let  either  little 
Dick  or  her  mother  go  out  alone,  and  this  one  fact  made 
her  very  happy. 

Not  a  word  had  escaped  her  at  the  store  about  her  al 
tered  conditions,  neither  had  she  spoken  again  to  her 
mother  regarding  her  uncle. 

Mrs.  Marvin  told  her  sadly  that  he  had  gone  abroad 
immediately  after  arranging  the  transfer  of  the  $50,000 
and  settling  all  the  details  of  her  newly  acquired  fortune. 
Faith  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief,  although  she  felt  sorry  for 
her  mother.  It  was  evident  that  his  humiliation  was  deep 
and  genuine. 

She  frequently  caught  herself  wondering  about  his 
changed  name.  He  was  born  a  Courtleigh,  yet  he  had 
signed  himself  "Deering." 

She  decided  at  last  that  it  was  a  purely  personal  mat 
ter.  Doubtless  it  was  for  some  reason  which  she  in  her 
innocence  would  neither  understand  nor  approve. 

Other  things  which  she  could  understand  were  claim 
ing  her  attention,  so  that  there  was  little  time  to  spend 
in  idle  conjectures. 

She  waited  eagerly  as  the  days  passed  by  for  a  word 
from  Maggie  Brady  that  she  was  willing  to  see -her. 

At  last  it  came,  and  Faith  hurried  down  to  the  jail.  She 
had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  securing  Mr.  Denton's  per 
mission. 

At  the  first  glimpse  of  Maggie  behind  prison  bars  she 


1 68  Faith  Visits  Maggie. 

nearly  burst  jnto  a  fit  of  crying.  The  girl  was  so  haggard 
and  pale  that  she  hardly  knew  her. 

"I  suppose  you've  come  to  gloat  over  me,"  were  the 
prisoner's  first  words,  "but  it  don't  matter  to  me.  You 
can  come  if  you  want  to." 

"Oh,  Miss  Brady,  don't  say  that,"  cried  Faith,  with 
the  tears  springing  to  her  eyes.  "I  have  come  to  see  you 
— to  try  and  cheer  you.  Do,  please,  believe  me*!" 

"How  do  you  expect  to  cheer  me?"  asked  Maggie  sul 
lenly,  as  the  keeper  opened  the  door  of  her  cell  and  let 
her  out  into  the  corridor. 

"I  don't  know  that  I  can,"  said  Faith,  very  sadly,  "but 
you  will  let  me  try,  at  least,  won't  you,  Maggie?" 

There  was  a  yearning  in  her  voice  that  the  woman 
could  not  miss.  She  stared  at  Faith  steadily,  as  though 
trying  to  read  her  soul,  and  in  a  moment  her  face  softened 
and  she  spoke  more  gently. 

"Oh,  I  have  no  doubt  you  are  sorry  for  me,  and  all 
that,"  she  said  slowly.  "That's  natural,  but,  see  here;  I 
don't  want  any  sympathy." 

"But  you  do  want  my  friendship,  don't  you,  Maggie?" 
said  Faith ;  "and  that  is  what  I  have  come  to  offer  you — • 
just  my  honest  friendship." 

In  an  instant  the  fiend  in  the  girl  woke  again. 

"Do  you  expect  me  to  believe  that?"  she  hissed  in  a 
whisper,  "after  doing  your  best  to  cut  me  out  with  Jim 
Denton?" 

She  glanced  at  the  girl  with  a  perfect  storm  of  fury  in 
her  eyes,  but  Faith's  glance  did  not  waver;  she  only 
shook  her  head  sadly. 

"I  am  sorry  you  will  not  believe  me,  Maggie,"  she  said 
softly,  "but  it  is  the  truth  that  I  have  never  flirted  with 
Mr.  Denton,  and  the  only  times  I  ever  saw  him  in  my  life 
before  this  trouble  arose  were  twice,  when  you  saw  us 
together." 

"I  don't  believe  you,"  said  her  listener,  sharply.  "If 
you  had  never  flirted  with  him  why  did  he  send  you 
candy?" 

"I 'don't  know,  I  am  sure,"  said  Faith  hopelessly.  "Per 
haps  he  thought  I  was  young  and  silly,  and  would  not 
know  that  he  was  insulting  me." 


Faith  Visits  Maggie.  169 

Miss  Brady  looked  at  her  with  some  surprise  in  her 
eyes. 

"Did  you  consider  it  an  insult?"  she  asked,  slowly. 

"Certainly,"  said  Faith.  "He  had  no  right  to  do  so. 
He  forced  it  upon  me ;  I  did  not  want  it." 

"And  he  has  never  made  love  to  you?"  asked  the 
woman  eagerly. 

She  was  bending  forward,  staring  at  Faith  with  a 
strained  expression  upon  her  features.  To  save  her  life, 
Faith  could  not  help  blushing.  Hers  was  a  tell-tale  face 
— it  portrayed  every  emotion. 

"I  knew  it!  I  knew  it!"  cried  Miss  Brady  sharply. 
"You  would  not  blush  as  you  are  doing  if  he  hadn't  done 
it!" 

"But  he  hasn't,  I  assure  you,"  said  Faith,  as  soon  as 
she  could  speak.  "Mr.  Denton  has  flattered  me  a,  little,  of 
course,  but  I  can  honestly  say  that  he  hasn't  made  love 
to  me." 

She  was  firm  enough  now,  and  her  voice  was  very 
convincing.  Miss  Brady  gazed  at  her  steadily  and  seemed 
impressed  with  her  candor. 

"  Well,  he  hadn't  better,"  she  muttered  sullenly.  "Jim 

Denton  had  better  take  care "  She  stopped  suddenly. 

"I  had  forgotten,"  she  said  bitterly ;  "I  am  helpless  and  in 
prison." 

"But  I  am  sure  you  will  soon  be  free,  Miss  Brady," 
said  Faith,  "for  I  have  utterly  refused  to  appear  against 
you,  and " 

"What!"  exclaimed  the  woman  in  a  startled  whisper. 
"You  have  refused  to  appear  against  me — and  you  think 
me  guilty  ?" 

"If  I  knew  you  were  guilty  I  would  still  refuse,"  said 
Faith  stoutly,  "for  if  you  sent  that  candy  you  must  have 
been  crazy!" 

Slowly  the  frown  lifted  from  the  poor  girl's  brow.  She 
kept  gazing  at  Faith  as  though  she  could  hardly  credit 
her  senses. 

"You  will  not  accuse  me,"  she  stammered  again. 
"Well,  that's  more  mercy  than  I  ever  expected  on  earth' 
or  in  heaven." 

"What  is  more,  Maggie,"  continued  Faith,  "I  want  you 


170  Faith  Visits  Maggie. 

to  be  my  friend.  As  soon  as  you  are  out  of  this  place 
we  can  see  more  of  each  other." 

This  was  a  little  too  much  for  even  Maggie  Brady's 
nature.  Her  lips  trembled  suspiciously  before  she  an 
swered. 

"Oh,  I  won't  get  out ;  you  mark  my  words.  Old  Den- 
ton  will  send  me  up,  or,  if  he  don't,  the  District  Attorney 
will  do  it." 

"I  don't  think  so,"  said  Faith.  "They  won't  if  I  can 
prevent  it,  and  as  I  am  the  person  most  interested,  I  think 
I  should  have  some  voice  in  the  matter." 

"You  understand,  I  don't  admit  that  I  did  it,  yet,"  said 
Miss  Brady,  sullenly.  "1  have  never  admitted  a  thing, 
not  even  to  the  lawyer." 

"Would  you  not  be  happier  if  you  did  admit  it  ?"  asked 
Faith,  softly.  "I  am  sure  it  would  relieve  you  to  get  it 
off  of  your  conscience." 

"Oh,  it  ain't  troubling  me  much !"  said  the  girl  indif 
ferently,  "but  I  will  say  that  I'm  glad  the  stuff  didn't  kill 
you !" 

"But  it  might  have  killed  Sam  Watkins  if  the  dog  had 
not  happened  to  be  there.  Why,  Miss  Brady,  just  think; 
you  might  have  killed  a  dozen  people !" 

The  woman  shuddered  and  turned  away  her  face. 

"Well,  as  it  didn't  kill  any  one  there's  some  hope  for 
me,"  she  said,  "and  I  want  to  live  long  enough  to  get 
square  with  Jim  Denton  !" 

"What  has  he  done  to  you?"  cried  Faith,  impulsively. 
"I  can't  think  what  he  could  do  to  make  you  hate  him  so 
bitterly." 

"Hate  him !"  cried  the  girl.  "Me  hate  Jim  Denton ! 
'Why,  you  don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about! 
Would  I  be  jealous  if  I  hated  him?" 

"But  you  certainly  can't  love  him,"  said  Faith,  with 
another  blush.  "If  you  did  you  could  not  harm  him  so 
much  as  in  your  thoughts.  You  would  be  glad  to  suffer 
anything  to  be  able  to  protect  him." 

"Oh,  I've  protected  him  all  right,"  said  the  girl,  with 
a  sneer ;  then  she  straightened  up  suddenly  and  said : 

"I  want  to  ask  you  a  favor.  I  want  you  to  bring  old 
Denton  down  here,"  she  said  eagerly.  "Bring  him  your- 


Faith  Visits  Maggie.  171 

self  and  let  Fairbanks  come  with  you.  Come  any  day 
you  like.  I'm  not  particular." 

"I  will  ask  Mr.  Denton  to  come,  if  you  wish,"  said 
Faith,  a  little  wonderingly,  "and  I  am  sure  he  will  come. 
He  is  very  sorry  for  you,  Maggie." 

"He'll  be  sorrier,  I'm  thinking,"  was  the  answer.  "But 
my  time  is  up.  Good-by,  Miss  Marvin." 

"Good-by,"  said  Faith,  sweetly,  "and  you  believe  me, 
Miss  Brady.  You  know  now  that  I  am  innocent  in  re 
gard  to  young  Mr.  Denton  ?" 

"Bring  the  old  man  down,  and  I'll  believe  it."  was  her 
answer.  "If  you  will  do  that  for  me,  I  shall  have  some 
faith  in  your  friendship." 

When  Faith  got  back  to  the  store  she  went  straight  to 
Mr.  Denton,  and  repeated  in  as  few  words  as  possible  her 
conversation  with  Maggie. 

Mr.  Denton  had  found  out  himself  many  things  about 
his  son,  so  Faith  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  the  entire  story. 

"I  can't  think  that  my  son  has  really  wronged  the 
woman,"  he  said,  sadly,  "but  he  has  been  very  reckless, 
I  fear,  and  it  is  my  fault  in  great  measure." 

"And  you  will  go  to  see  her,  will  you  not?"  asked 
Faith,  eagerly. 

"With  pleasure,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  "and  I  trust  that 
with  our  words  and  our  prayers,  Miss  Marvin,  that  we 
shall  be  able  to  bring  the  poor  sinner  to  repentance." 

Faith  left  the  private  office  feeling  very  hopeful  and 
happy.  She  was  more  so  when  she  met  Mr.  Watkins  just 
entering  the  building. 

There  was  a  hearty  hand-clasp  and  an  earnest  greeting; 
then  Mr.  Watkins  told  her  briefly  of  his  recovery  and  his 
prospects  for  the  future. 

"I  am  to  have  the  same  position;  only  a  much  larger 
salary,"  he  said,  brightly,  "which  will  enable  us  to  live  in 
comfort  without  Sam's  working.  He  can  go  to  day 
school  for  at  least  another  year." 

"Everything  is  shining  with  hope  down  here,"  was 
Faith's  answer.  "Really,  Mr.  Watkins,  you  will  be  as 
tonished  at  the  changes." 

As  briefly  as  possible  she  told  him  of  her  own  good 


172  Faith  Visits  Maggie. 

fortune,  and  giving  him  her  new  address,  she  cautioned 
him  to  keep  it  secret  for  the  present. 

"And  now  I  have  some  news  that  will  astonish  you," 
said  Mr.  Watkins.  "A  rich  old  lady,  whom  I  once  met, 
wrote  me  a  letter  the  other  day — she  knew  my  poor 
sweetheart,  and  wants  to  adopt  her  brother." 

"Adopt  little  Dick?"  cried  Faith,  in  distress.  "I  can 
hardly  think  of  it,  Mr.  Watkins;  yet  we  must  look  into 
it,  of  course.  I  must  not  let  my  love  for  him  stand  in  the 
way  of  his  welfare." 

"That  is  what  I  thought,"  said  Mr.  Watkins,  soberly; 
"but  do  you  chance  to  know  her,  Miss  Marvin?  Her 
name  is  Mrs.  Graham." 

"Yes,  indeed,  she's  the  sweetest  old  lady  in  the  world," 
cried  Faith.  "She  used  to  come  in  here  and  shop,  and 
Mary  and  I  both  loved  her." 

"Well,  I'm  to  see  her  to-night,  and  hear  what  she  has  to 
say.  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it  later,"  he  said  as  they 
parted. 

"It  will  be  a  better  home  than  we  can  give  him,"  mur 
mured  Faith,  thoughtfully;  "for  while  we  have  a  few 
thousands,  Mrs.  Graham  has  millions." 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

MR.    FORBES    REACHES   A   DECISION. 

Early  the  next  morning1  Mr.  Denton  was  in  his  office. 
He  was  almost  the  first  person  at  the  store  nowadays,  and, 
as  far  as  he  could,  he  looked  after  every  detail  of  business. 

At  half-past  eight  the  sample  room  was  thronged  with 
drummers,  and  each  buyer  was  carefully  inspecting  the 
goods  which  he  intended  ordering  for  his  special  depart 
ment. 

More  than  once  Mr.  Denton  interrupted  some  low  con 
versation  where  he  felt  sure  that  a  deal  was  being  made 
which  could  not  be  adjusted  to  his  newly  awakened  con 
science. 

Then  came  the  opening  of  the  morning  mail.  He  had 
always  intrusted  this  to  others ;  now  he  gave  it  personal 
supervision. 

Quite  frequently  he  intercepted  letters  that  he  did  not 
understand  until  he  had  investigated  closely,  with  the  aid 
of  a  detective,  but  in  each  instance  the  wrong-doer  was 
treated  with  mercy,  he  was  reasoned  with  and  cautioned,  a 
repetition  would  mean  discharge  on  the  instant. 

Thus,  almost  daily  he  found  fresh  evidences  of  dis 
honesty,  either  in  the  firm's  dealing  with  manufacturers 
or  customers,  or  some  treachery  of  employees,  whose  op 
portunity  came  to  them  in  the  form  of  mail  orders. 

Goods  were  ordered  in  this  way  frequently  which  could 
not  be  supplied,  and  an  inferior  grade  was  almost  invari 
ably  substituted.  When  this  was  done  the  "mail  order 
clerk's"  methods  were  simple — either  he  or  the  firm  were 
profiters  through  the  transaction. 

Mr.  Denton  finally  thought  out  the  solution  of  this  un 
pleasant  matter,  and  on  this  particular  morning  he  sum 
moned  the  advertising  manager  for  the  firm  to  his  office. 

Picking  up  a  daily  paper,  he  pointed  to  one  of  their 
attractive  "ads." 


174        Mr.  Forbes  Reaches  a  Decision. 

"Bring  me  a  sample  of  these  goods,  Green,"  he  said,  a 
little  sternly ;  "you  can  get  them  of  Billings,  the  buyer  in 
that  department." 

"Oh,  that's  only  a  blind,  sir,"  was  the  startling  answer. 
"Mr.  Billings  has  some  old  goods  that  he  is  trying  to  work 
off.  They  are  not  quite  up  to  the  mark,  but  that  'ad'  will 
sell  them.'" 

"Do  you  mean  by  that,  Green,  that  we  are  misrepresent 
ing  our  goods  ?"  asked  Mr.  Denton ;  "or,  in  other  words, 
that  we  are  advertising  one  grade  of  goods  and  selling 
another  ?" 

"That's  about  it,"  said  the  manager,  looking  a  little 
puzzled,  "but  it's  nothing  new,  sir;  we've  always  done  it!" 

Mr.  Denton  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  before  he 
spoke.  He  could  not  censure  him  for  what  they  had  "al 
ways"  done,  neither  could  he  blame  the  man  for  his  own 
previous  indifference  on  the  subject. 

"Don't  do  it  again,  Green,"  he  said  very  sadly,  "and 
send  Mr.  Billings  to  me  the  minute  you  see  him." 

As  Mr.  Green  went  out  Mr.  Denton  groaned  aloud: 
"Would  he  ever  get  to  the  end  of  his  own  dishonesty,  or 
was  he  to  be  confronted  dailv  by  such  contemptible 
trickery?" 

Just  once  he  tried  to  justify  his  past  methods,  but  with 
a  sneer  of  scorn  he  put  such  thoughts  from  him. 

As  he  sat  in  deep  meditation  the  door  opened  again. 
He  looked  up,  and  saw  that  it  was  Mr.  Forbes  who  had 
entered. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  quickly,  "and 
I  hope  you  are  feeling  entirely  recovered." 

Mr.  Forbes  bowed  slightly,  as  he  dropped  into  a  chair. 

"Mr.  Forbes,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  "I  am  ashamed  of  my 
self!  I  never  knew  until  to-day  that  I  was  such  a 
scoundrel !" 

He  pointed  to  the  paper  that  he  still  held  in  his  hand, 
and  in  a  very  few  words  repeated  his  late  conversation. 

"That  is  necessary  in  business,"  said  Mr.  Forbes 
shortly,  "and  it  is,  to  say  the  least,  peculiar  that  you 
shouldn't  know  it !" 

"Well,  it's  an  infamous  trick!"  was  Mr.  Denton's  re- 


Mr.  Forbes  Reaches  a  Decision.        175 

joinder.  "Just  think  of  the  poor  people  whom  we  have  de 
frauded  in  that  manner !" 

"I  prefer  to  think  of  the  dollars  it  has  brought  into  our 
pockets,"  said  Mr.  Forbes  sullenly,  "and  now  that  we  are 
on  the  subject,  I  may  as  well  say,  Mr.  Denton,  that  I  am 
sick  and  tired  of  this  whole  idiotic  business !" 

"Do  you  wish  to  sell  out?" 

Mr.  Denton  spoke  calmly.  "If  so,  name  your  price 
while  I  have  the  money  to  pay  you." 

"Oh,  you  do  expect  to  fail,  then?  You  still  have  sense 
enough  for  that !"  said  Mr.  Forbes  quickly.  "Then,  why 
not  give  up  your  fad  at  once  and  run  the  business  prop 
erly?" 

"Do  you  mean  as  we  have  been  running  it  ?"  asked  Mr. 
Denton,  with  a  sharp  glance  at  him. 

"Certainly,  with  a  few  modifications,  perhaps,"  was  the 
equally  sharp  answer. 

"Never!" 

Mr.  Denton's  voice  rang  out  like  the  blast  of  a  trumpet. 

"Go  back  to  such  infamous  practices?     Never!" 

"Very  well,  then,"  said  Mr.  Forbes,  with  sudden  anger 
in  his  voice,  "I  do  wish  to  sell  out !  What  will  you  give 
me  for  my  interest  ?" 

Mr.  Denton  wheeled  around,  and  looked  at  him  eagerly. 

"I  had  hoped  you  would  see  things  differently,"  he  said 
at  last.  "I  thought  that  perhaps  you  would  appreciate  my 
desire,  which  is  to  make  myself  more  worthy  of  the  God 
that  made  me." 

Mr.  Forbes  shifted  uneasily,  and  finally  rose  from  his 
chair.  He  was  plainly  disturbed  over  the  situation. 

"I  do  appreciate  your  efforts,  and  I  honor  them,  in  a 
way,"  he  said  slowly,  "but  I  have  not  the  courage  to  make 
such  a  sacrifice  myself,  and  I  very  much  doubt  if  such  a 
sacrifice  is  demanded.  A  proper  observance  of  religion 
is  enough ;  a  man  need  not  crucify  his  worldly  ambitions 
in  order  to  be  worthy  of  heaven." 

"  'Let  him  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  Me'  "  quoted 
Mr.  Denton.  "My  cross  is  to  do  exactly  as  I  am  doing". 
It  is  not  easy  to  bear,  but  I  am  happy  in  bearing  it." 

"But  where  will  it  lead  to?"  asked  Mr.  Forbes  eagerly. 


176        Mr.  Forbes  Reaches  a  Decision. 

"What  proof  have  you  that  your  reward  will  come?  This 
may  be  a  delusion  that  you  are  following." 

"I  am  willing  to  risk  it,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  solemnly. 
"It  is  the  best  a  man  can  do  to  follow  his  conscience." 

"But  there  are  duties  to  one's  family  that  must  be  con 
sidered,"  urged  Mr.  Forbes.  "A  man  cannot  rightfully 
ignore  the  fact  that  he  is  of  the  earth,  earthy,  and  that 
there  is  something  tangible  needed  before  we  soar  into 
the  mysteries." 

"He  must  ignore  nothing,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  gravely, 
"but,  as  I  said  before,  he  must  follow  his  conscience." 

"Well,  I  should  like  to  stay  with  you,  but  I  cannot  do 
it,"  said  Mr.  Forbes,  "for,  while  I  sympathize  with  your 
feelings  in  many  respects,  yet  I  cannot  indorse  your  un- 
business-like  actions.  If  you  think  my  interest  here  is 
worth  fifty  thousand  dollars,  you  can  give  me  that  amount, 
and  I  will  go — then  you  will  be  free  to  spend  your  fortune 
according  to  any  freak  of  your  fancy." 

"You  are  more  just  in  your  dealings  than  I  expected," 
said  Mr.  Denton,  flushing  a  little.  "After  my  experience 
with  Mr.  Dayz  I  did  not  look  for  any  mercy." 

"Oh,  I  have  a  conscience,  too,"  said  Mr.  Forbes,  grimly, 
"and  while  I  did  not  know  it  until  lately,  it  has  made  me 
very  uncomfortable,  I  can  assure  you." 

There  was  a  genuine  ring  in  his  voice  as  he  spoke,  and 
as  Mr.  Denton  detected  it,  he  rose  and  placed  his  hand 
upon  his  shoulder. 

"Better  stay  with  me,  brother,  and  let  us  work  to 
gether,"  he  said  gently.  "In  the  vineyard  of  the  Master 
there  can  be  no  unrewarded  labor." 

Mr.  Forbes  shook  his  head  and  turned  away. 

"We  can  attend  to  the  legal  details  some  other  time," 
he  said  briefly.  "You  are  busy  to-day,  so  I  will  not  detain 
you." 

Mr.  Denton  sat  down  at  his  desk  again,  and  as  the 
door  closed  behind  his  partner  he  bowed  his  head  upon 
his  bosom. 

"Alone  and  yet  not  alone,"  he  whispered  softly.  "God 
grant  me  strength  to  do  my  duty,  and  if  my  lot  is  failure, 
let  me  accept  it  bravely.  It  is  all  a  man  can  do.  He  must 
follow  his  conscience." 


Mr.  Forbes  Reaches  a  Decision.        177 

The  door  opened  again,  and  Faith  Marvin  entered.  She 
had  her  hat  on,  and  was  ready  for  the  visit  to  Maggie 
Brady. 

"I  wonder  what  she  wishes  to  see  me  for?"  said  her  em 
ployer,  musingly.  "Is  she  desirous  of  upbraiding  me,  do 
you  think,  Miss  Marvin  ?" 

"Why  should  she  upbraid  you?"  asked  Faith,  very  so 
berly.  "You  certainly  are  not  to  blame  for  the  actions  of 
your  son,  and  as  for  her  arrest,  you  simply  had  to  do  it." 

"She  may  say  that  I  should  have  protected  her  from 
him,"  he  answered.  "Some  way  I  blame  myself  continu 
ally  in  that  particular  direction." 

"A  girl  should  be  able  to  protect  herself,"  said  Faith 
sternly.  "I  can't  quite  understand  such  weakness  in 
women,  unless  it  is,  as  poor  Miss  Jennings  used  to  say, 
'the  iniquities  of  the  fathers  visited  upon  generations  of 
the  innocent.' ' 

"I  believe  that  fully,"  said  Mr.  Denton  with  a  sigh.  "It 
is  one  reason  why  I  am  merciful  in  my  own  boy's  case — 
my  sins  have  been  perpetuated  !  Can  I  ever  efface  them  ?" 

They  left  the  building  together,  going  out  of  one  of  the 
side  doors.  Just  as  they  reached  the  sidewalk  a  handsome 
carriage  drew  up  before  the  entrance. 

"Why,  that  is  my  own  carriage !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Den- 
ton  quickly. 

The  next  instant  James  Denton  sprang  from  the  car 
riage  and  came  face  to  face  with  Faith  and  his  father. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 
MAGGIE  BRADY'S  SECRET. 

"What  is  it?  Is  anything  wrong?"  asked  Mr.  Dentoti 
quickly. 

"Mother  is  worse,"  was  the  short  answer.  "She's  gone 
out  of  her  head  completely." 

Mr.  Denton  paused  and  rubbed  his  brow  perplexedly. 

"Oh,  what  is  it,  sir?"  asked  Faith  eagerly.  "Is  your 
wife  really  ill?  I  have  heard  it  rumored  that  she  was, 
but  I  did  not  know  whether  to  believe  it." 

"She  is,  indeed!"  exclaimed  young  Denton,  looking 
angrily  at  his  father;  "and  she  has  every  reason  to  be. 
It  is  only  natural." 

"Hush !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Denton  sternly.  "You  shall 
not  criticise  my  actions.  As  your  father,  I  expect  and  de 
mand  your  silence.  I  am  responsible  to  God  alone — not  to 
my  wife  or  family." 

"Well,  you  will  have  her  to  answer  for,  just  the  same," 
said  the  son,  sullenly.  "She  can't  see  you  throwing  away 
your  money  and  keep  her  senses  much  longer." 

"For  shame!"  cried  Faith  hotly.  "Can't  you  see,  Mr. 
Denton,  that  your  father  is  sorely  distressed?  How  dare 
you  trample  upon  his  feelings  in  such  a  brutal  manner  ?" 

James  Denton  wheeled  around  and  faced  the  speaker. 

"My  mother  is  going  crazy,"  he  said,  almost  gently. 
"You  must  pardon  me,  Miss  Marvin,  but  I  love  my- 
mother." 

Mr.  Denton  opened  the  carriage  door  and  motioned  for 
Faith  to  enter.  There  was  a  look  in  his  face  that  per 
mitted  no  misunderstanding. 

"Your  mother's  doctor  and  nurse  are  with  her,  are  they 
not  ?  Then  I  shall  not  be  needed  for  an  hour,  and  I  have 
an  important  engagement.  I  am  going  to  call  upon  Mag 
gie  Brady,  one  of  my  son's  unfortunate  victims,"  he  added 
slowlv. 


Maggie  Brady's  Secret.  179 

James  Denton  turned  as  pale  as  death  as  he  listened  to 
these  words.  For  a  moment  it  looked  as  if  he  were  about 
to  spring  forward  and  drag  his  father  from  the  carriage 
in  order  to  prevent  this  visit.  In  a  second  they  were  Bat 
tling  away  from  the  door.  Faith's  last  glance  showed  the 
young  man  still  standing  motionless  and  livid. 

"He  fears  something  from  the  interview,"  was  her  first 
quick  thought.  She  glanced  up  at  Mr.  Denton.  It  was 
plainly  to  be  seen  by  his  face  that  he  shared  her  sus 
picions. 

They  were  admitted  at  once  to  the  corridor  of  the  jail, 
and  the  keeper  allowed  Miss  Brady  to  join  them. 

"How  are  you  to-day,  Maggie?"  asked  Faith  as  sweet 
ly  as  she  could.  "You  see,  I  have  kept  my  promise.  I 
have  brought  Mr.  Denton  to  see  you." 

"My  poor  child!"  said  Mr.  Denton,  offering  Miss 
Brady  his  hand.  "I  am  more  than  sorry  to  have  been  the 
means  of  bringing  you  here ;  but  I  had  no  alternative.  I 
had  to  do  my  duty." 

"Oh,  I  don't  lay  it  up  against  you,"  said  the  girl,  almost 
coldly.  She  had  drawn  away  from  him  quickly  and  put 
her  hands  behind  her.  "I  suppose  you  thought  I  was  a 
dangerous  person  to  be  at  large — well,  perhaps  you  were 
right;  there's  no  telling  what  a  jealous  woman  will  do. 
Did  they  tell  you,  Mr.  Denton,  that  I  was  jealous  of  Miss 
Marvin  ?" 

There  was  a  steely  ring  to  her  tones  as  she  said  the 
words,  and  the  glance  of  her  eyes  was  both  cold  and  cruel. 

"I  heard  that  it  was  on  account  of  my  son,"  was  Mr. 
Denton's  sad  answer.  "I  am  very  sorry  indeed,  Miss 
Brady,  if  James  ever  deceived  you." 

"Oh,  he  hasn't  deceived  me  a  bit,"  said  the  girl  quickly. 
"On  the  contrary,  he  took  pains  to  parade  his  attentions 
before  me." 

She  laughed  a  harsh,  grating  laugh  as  she  answered. 
Mr.  Denton  looked  puzzled.  He  could  not  understand 
her. 

"But  perhaps  you  expected  too  much  from  his  atten 
tions,"  said  Mr.  Denton  gently.  "Young  men  are  often 
unscrupulous  and  say  more  than  they  mean  to  young 
women.  Perhaps  he  led  you  to  believe  that  he  cared  more 


i8o  Maggie  Brady's  Secret. 

for  you  than  he  did,  and  in  this  way  gained  your  affec 
tions  and  did  not  appreciate  them." 

"He  did  all  that,"  said  the  girl,  very  coldly ;  "and  I  was 
not  the  woman  to  endure  such  treatment  calmly.  I'm 
sorry  if  I  was  mistaken  in  Miss  Marvin's  part  in  the 
matter.  She  says  she  was  innocent,  and  I'm  willing  to  be 
lieve  her." 

"Well,  what  can  I  do  for  you?"  asked  Mr.  Denton  kind 
ly.  "I  have  already  tried  to  get  your  case  dismissed,  and 
as  Miss  Marvin  refuses  to  appear  against  you  I  think  we 
shall  be  successful.  But  if  there  is  anything  that  James 
has  done — any  wrong  that  I  can  right,  you  have  only  to 
say  so,  and  I  will  try  to  do  my  duty." 

Miss  Brady  stared  at  the  speaker  in  undisguised  amaze 
ment.  She  could  hardly  believe  that  it  was  Mr.  Denton 
who  was  speaking.  As  her  employer  he  had  always  been 
cold  and  distant.  She  had  never  looked  on  him  as  any 
thing  more  or  less  than  a  despot  and  tyrant. 

"Mr.  Denton  is  perfectly  sincere,  Maggie,"  said  Faith 
quickly  as  she  noticed  the  amazement  depicted  on  her 
countenance. 

"But  I  don't  understand,"  said  the  girl,  still  staring. 

"Let  me  explain,"  said  Faith  quickly,  "and  you  must 
try  and  believe  me,  Maggie.  Both  Mr.  Denton  and  my 
self  are  thinking  only  of  your  good.  We  want  to  help  you 
to  see  this  awful  sin  which  you  have  committed  in  the 
right  light — that  is,  as  a  sin  not  only  against  yourself  and 
your  fellow  beings,  but  against  the  God  who  made  you 
and  who  wishes  you  to  love  Him." 

As  she  spoke  she  put  her  arms  around  the  girl  in  an 
affectionate  manner.  Maggie  did  not  draw  away,  but  re 
mained  silent  and  passive. 

"You  see,  Maggie,  you  are  not  wronging  any  one  by 
your  bad  temper  and  your  stubbornness  as  much  as  you 
are  wronging  yourself.  These  sins  always  react  on  one's 
self,  you  know.  They  may  hurt  and  grieve  others  in  some 
degree,  but  they  sear  your  own  heart  with  the  wounds  of 
agony  and  shut  the  light  of  God's  tenderness  from  your 
soul.  Can  you  not  see  it,  Maggie,  how  you  have  marred 
your  own  happiness  ?  Do  try,  dear,  to  humble  your  stub 
born  spirit?  Ask  God  to  help  you  forgive  those  who 


Maggie  Brady's  Secret.  181 

wrong  you.  Believe  me,  it  will  make  you  far  happier  than 
this  cowardly  revenge." 

Faith's  tones  were  so  beseeching  that  Mr.  Denton  was 
touched  beyond  expression.  He  had  never  seen  a  more 
holy  sight  than  this  young  girl  pleading  with  tears  in 
her  eyes  with  an  erring  sister. 

"It's  easy  for  you  to  talk,"  muttered  Maggie  finally. 
"Your  life  has  been  different  from  mine.  What  do  you 
know  of  trouble?" 

"A  great  deal,"  said  Faith  quickly.  "If  I  did  not  I 
could  not  feel  as  I  do.  Why,  it  is  through  my  own 
experience  that  I  have  come  to  feel  this  sympathy  for 
others." 

"But  you  don't  understand,"  said  the  woman  more 
bitterly.  "By  'trouble'  I  do  not  mean  just  hard  luck 
and  poverty." 

"I  think  I  do  understand,  Maggie,"  said  Faith,  more 
softly.  "And  I  can  still  say  sincerely  that  I  am  very 
sorry  for  you.  I  believe  that  you  have  been  more 
sinned  against  than  any  of  us  realize." 

"I  have,  indeed!"  cried  Miss  Brady,  sharply.  Her  lips 
twitched  convulsively  and  tears  trembled  on  her  lashes. 

"Then  God  will  surely  pity  you,"  cried  Faith,  almost 
cheerily.  "He  will  understand  the  length  and  breadth  of 
your  temptation,  Maggie,  as  well  as  the  injustice  which 
you  have  suffered." 

The  poor  girl  g"azed  at  Faith  a  moment  and  then  burst 
out  crying. 

"Oh,  I  have  been  wronged  most  fearfully,"  she  whis 
pered  between  her  sobs.  "And  I  could  not  help  it.  I 
could  bear  the  agony  no  longer!" 

As  she  spoke  she  thrust  her  hand  into  the  bosom  of 
her  dress.  In  another  second  she  had  drawn  forth  a 
crumpled  paper. 

"Read  it!"  she  said  hoarsely,  holding  it  out  toward 
Mr.  Denton.  "Read  it,  and  tell  me  if  you  blame  me 
for  doing  as  I  did,  and  after  you  have  read  it  say  again 
that  you  will  help  me!" 

With  a  quick  wave  of  horror  coursing  through  his 
brain,  Mr.  Denton  took  the  paper  and  quickly  un 
folded  it. 


Maggie  Brady's  Secret. 

Only  a  glance  was  needed  to  show  him  what  it  was. 
Mr.  Denton  staggered  to  a  chair,  his  face  pale  and 
haggard. 

"Oh,  what  is  it?"  asked  Faith,  looking  from  one  to 
the  other. 

Maggie  Brady  gave  a  short,  hoarse  laugh  as  she 
replied: 

"Only  the  certificate  of  my  marriage  to  young  James 
Denton!" 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
JIM  DENTON'S  CONFESSION. 

As  Maggie  Brady  made  her  startling  announcement 
Faith's  heart  seemed  to  stop  beating.  She  felt  faint  and 
dizzy,  and  spread  out  her  hands  before  her  as  if  to  ward 
off  something  that  was  fast  overcoming  her. 

She  tried  to  speak,  but  the  words  died  upon  her  lips. 
In  another  moment  she  lost  consciousness  entirely  and 
slipped  heavily  to  the  floor  of  the  corridor. 

Mr.  Denton  sprang  to  his  feet  and  attempted  to 
raise  her,  while  Maggie  Brady  stood  like  a  statue,  with 
her  hands  clasped  tightly  together. 

"Poor  girl!  your  news  has  shocked  her,"  said  Mr. 
Denton  absently.  "She  was  over-anxious  and  excited 
about  your  welfare." 

"Men  are  easily  deceived,"  was  Maggie  Brady's  sad 
answer.  "I  can  explain  her  condition  more  reasonably 
than  that — the  girl  is  in  love  with  your  son — my  hus 
band!  I  thought  so  before,  now  I  am  absolutelv  cer 
tain!" 

One  of  the  jailers  came  in  just  then  and  led  Maggie 
to  her  cell,  and  as  the  door  closed  behind  her  Faith 
came  slowly  to  her  senses. 

When  she  had  revived  completely,  Mr.  Denton  led 
her  quickly  from  the  jail.  He  was  too  shocked  and 
grieved  himself  to  wish  to  remain  another  moment.  Dur 
ing  the  ride  back  to  the  store  there  was  hardly  a  word 
spoken  in  the  carriage,  for  both  Mr.  Denton  and  Faith 
were  in  the  most  distressed  condition  of  mind. 

In  Mr.  Denton's  mind  two  thoughts  were  uppermost, 
his  son's  wickedness  in  the  past  and  his  duty  in  the  fu 
ture.  At  any  other  time  he  would  have  known  how  to 
act,  but  now  he  was  sorely  puzzled.  Faith,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  hiding  her  face  from  almost  shame,  for  she 
had  learned  a  secret  in  that  brief  moment  at  the  jail 


184  Jim  Denton's  Confession. 

which  was  overwhelming  her  soul  in  a  flood  of  self- 
censure. 

The  fair  face  of  James  Denton  was  constantly  before 
her.  His  pleading  eyes  and  glances  of  admiration 
haunted  her.  She  felt,  what  she  would  not  own  even 
admit  to  herself,  that  in  spite  of  his  wickedness  she  was 
deeply  in  love  with  him. 

"It  does  not  seem  possible,"  Mr.  Denton  said  at  last. 
"I  know  my  son  was  thoughtless,  but  I  did  not  believe 
him  wicked." 

Faith  could  not  speak;  she  was  crying  softly.  The 
knowledge  of  her  love  had  completely  crushed  her. 

"Let  me  go  home,  please/'  she  murmured,  as  her  em 
ployer  helped  her  from  the  carriage.  "I  am  afraid  I 
am  too  nervous  to  remain  at  the  store." 

"Certainly,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  "and  I  shall  soon  fol 
low  your  example,  for  if  my  wife  is  as  ill  as  my  son 
said,  it  is  my  duty  to  neglect  everything  and  remain  at 
her  bedside." 

"But  has  she  really  lost  her  reason?"  asked  Faith,  a 
little  timidly. 

Mr.  Denton  sighed  heavily  before  he  answered. 

"She  is  worrying  unnecessarily  to  a  great  extent,  I 
think,"  he  said  calmly.  "She  sees  in  my  new  methods 
and  actions  only  the  probable  financial  results;  she  can 
not  see  that  I  am  honestly  trying  to  do  my  duty — to 
share  my  large  fortune  with  my  fellow-beings." 

"But  is  it  not  possible  to  follow  your  conscience  and 
still  prosper?"  asked  Faith,  anxiously. 

"That  is  a  question  that  I  cannot  answer,  Miss  Mar 
vin,  at  this  stage  of  the  experiment,  but,  judging  from 
the  present  outlook,  godliness  cannot  be  profitable  from 
a  worldly  point  of  view.  But  from  the  spiritual,  I  am 
satisfied  'that  it  is  a  success ;  the  consciousness  of  well 
doing  is  enough  for  the  Christian." 

Faith  pondered  over  his  words  as  she  hurried  home. 
She  was  glad  that  he  had  awakened  a  new  train  of 
thought,  as  it  enabled  her  to  compose  herself  from  her 
late  excitement. 

When  she  reached  her  mother's  home  she  found  botH 
Mr.  Watkins  and  Mrs.  Graham,  who  had  called  to  get 


Jim  Denton 's  Confession.  185 

acquainted  with  little  Dick  and  to  tell  Mrs.  Marvin  their 
plans  for  his  future.  It  was  hard  to  part  with  him,  but 
it  was  clearly  for  the  best.  Mrs.  Graham  could  give 
him  advantages  that  would  be  impossible  to  Mrs. 
Marvin. 

This  transaction  permitted  Faith  to  regain  her  com 
posure  entirely,  so  that  when  they  were  gone  she  was 
able  to  tell  her  mother  all  that  had  happened  at  the 
jail. 

Mrs.  Marvin  was  shocked  and  pained  at  the  recital. 

"Poor  child,"  she  said,  sorrowfully,  "to  think  she  is 
really  his  wife.  I  wonder  what  could  have  been  their 
motive  for  keeping  it  a  secret!" 

Faith  shook  her  head.  She  did  not  care  to  even  con 
jecture.  It  was  a  subject  that  cut  her  heart  like  a 
two-edged  sword,  for,  try  as  she  would,  she  could  not 
condemn  James  Denton. 

An  hour  later  the  maid  brought  her  in  a  card.  Faith 
could  hardly  control  her  feelings  as  she  saw  that  her 
caller  was  no  other  than  young  Denton. 

"He  must  have  been  following  me,"  she  said  to  her 
mother,  "else  how  did  he  know  that  I  was  not  at  the" 
store?" 

Her  mother  smiled  sadly,  but  did  not  answer. 

Faith  entered  the  parlor  as  calmly  as  she  could,  but 
her  limbs  were  trembling  and  the  tears  were  very  near 
to  falling.  She  knew  that  she  should  spurn  the  coward, 
whom  her  whole  soul  despised,  but  she  could  not  do  it; 
her  strength  deserted  her. 

James  Denton  rose  suddenly  as  she  entered  the  door. 
He  looked  like  a  ghost — he  was  so  pale  and  haggard. 
Before  she  realized  it,  Faith  extended  her  hand,  then 
she  drew  it  back  quickly  with  a  sudden  revulsion. 

"No,  don't  offer  to  shake  hands  with  me,"  said  James 
Denton,  slowly.  "I  am  not  fit  to  touch  the  hem  of  your 
garment,  Miss  Marvin." 

Faith  looked  at  him  as  he  stood  there,  pale,  hollow- 
eyed  and  dejected,  then  with  almost  a  cry  she  burst  out 
impulsively : 

"Oh,  how  could  you  do  such  a  thing,  Mr.  Denton? 
How  did  you  dare  to  wrong  that  poor  girl  as  you  have? 


186  Jim  Denton's  Confession. 

Don't  you  know  that  in  so  doing  you  have  branded 
yourself  a  coward?" 

"So  she  has  told  you  and  saved  me  from  doing  so?" 

Young  Denton  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief.  He  had 
come  too  late  with  his  awful  confession. 

"Yes,  she  told  us,  your  father  and  me/'  said  Faith, 
faintly.  "Oh,  it  is  dreadful — dreadful;  I  can't  under 
stand  ic!" 

"Neither  can  I,"  said  James  Denton,  with  a  tinge  of 
bitterness  in  his  voice.  "I  have  never  understood  how 
I  came  to  do  it.  I  was  a  fool — an  imbecile — a  lunatic, 
Miss  Marvin.  1  married  the  girl  without  even  dream 
ing  that  I  loved  her." 

Faith  stared  at  him  in  surprise  as  he  spoke  the  words. 
She  was  conscious  even  of  a  iiutter  of  happiness  as  she 
listened  to  the  confession. 

"Then  why  did  you  marry  her?"  she  asked  at  last. 
She  watched  eagerly  to  hear  his  answer. 

"It  was  all  done  for  a  lark,"  began  the  young  man. 
"We  were  out  with  some  friends,  Miss  Brady  and  I, 
and  I — I  suppose  we  had  all  been  drinking  too  much; 
then  some  one  suggested  a  wedding,  and  I  was  fool 
enough  to  play  the  bridegroom." 

"And  you  did  not  love  her?" 

Faith  asked  the  question  slowly. 

"Not  a  bit,  Miss  Marvin;  I  liked  her,  of  course.  But 
she  was  in  love  with  me;  I  discovered  that  later." 

"Why  did  you  not  own  her  as  your  wife?" 

Faith  hardly  knew  her  own  voice  as  she  asked  this. 
It  hardly  seemed  possible  that  she  could  speak  so  calmly. 

Mr.  Denton  looked  at  her  sharply  before  he  replied. 

"You  can  guess  that  surely,"  he  said  very  softly.  "Ras 
cal  that  I  was,  I  was  ashamed  to  own  her." 

After  a  minute  he  went  on  with  almost  desperate 
calmness,  as  though  he  was  determined  to  tell  the  whole 
of  the  distressing  secret. 

"I  told  her  that  dad  would  disown  me  if  he  knew  that 
I  had  married  her,  but  that  if  she  would  wait  until  I  was 
twenty-one,  that  there  would  be  no  more  danger  of  my 
losing  my  money.  Mag  likes  money,  you  know,  and 
she  consented  readily,  but  when  she  saw  me  flirting  with 


Jim  Denton's  Confession.  187 

the  other  girls,  as  I  had  to,  you  see,  to  make  every 
one  think  that  I  was  still  single,  her  jealousy  got  the 
best  of  her,  and  you  know  what  happened." 

"Well,  you  will  have  to  own  her  now,"  said  Faith  in 
almost  a  whisper. 

She  had  been  praying  silently  for  strength  to  say 
it  calmly. 

"Never!"  cried  young  Denton  with  a  flash  of  anger 
in  his  eyes. 

"Own  a  murderess  for  my  wife — never!  never!  Miss 
Marvin!" 

"Then  I  shall  despise  you,"  said  Faith,  with  a  flush1 
of  color  in  her  cheeks.  "For  it  is  the  only  thing  you 
can  do  to  right  the  wrong  that  you  have  done  her." 

"But  I  can't.  Indeed,  I  can't!"  cried  the  young  man, 
wildly.  "Don't  you  see,  Miss  Marvin,  that  I  have 
nothing  to  give  her,  no  love,  no-  respect,  not  even  friend 
ship?" 

"But  you  must  own  her,  just  the  same,"  said  Faith, 
decidedly.  "Maggie  was  a  good  girl  once;  it  is  love 
for  you  that  has  ruined  her." 

James  Denton  was  even  paler  than*  when  he  entered 
as  he  answered  her,  and  there  was  a  tone  in  his  voice 
that  made  Faith  shudder. 

"Two  wrongs  cannot  make  one  right,  Miss  Marvin," 
he  said,  firmly,  "and  to  live  with  Maggie  would  be  as 
great  a  wrong  as  the  first,  for  I  cannot  do  so  honorably 
while  I  love  another." 

Faith  looked  up  at  him  quickly  and  found  his  gaze 
riveted  on  her  face.  For  a  moment  she  seemed  drawn 
to  him  as  if  by  a  magnet,  then  the  revulsion  came  again 
and  she  raised  both  hands  imploringly. 

"Go,  go,  Mr.  Denton!"  she  cried  in  a  sharp  whisper. 
"Please  go  before  you  say  what  is  in  your  heart,  for 
your  words  can  only  add  cruel  mockery  to  dishonor!" 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE  BLESSING  OF  REPENTANCE. 

A  week  passed  before  Faith  went  to  the  store  again. 
She  was  too  utterly  miserable  to  think  of  resuming  her 
duties. 

Mr.  Watkins  called  on  her  every  night  to  bring  her 
news  of  the  store,  and  by  this  means  she  kept  track  of  all 
Mr.  Denton's  changes. 

One  night  Mr.  Watkins  had  mentioned  a  number  of 
things  which  had  benefited  the  clerks  as  well  as  the  cus 
tomers,  and  in  concluding  his  recital  he  sighed  very 
heavily,  an  indication  to  Faith  that  there  was  something 
more  behind  it. 

"Why  do  you  sigh,  Mr.  Watkins?"  she  asked,  abruptly. 
"It  seems  to  me  that  these  changes  should  bring  nothing 
but  smiles,  they  are  such  necessary  reforms,  yet  they 
have  been  so  long  in  coming." 

"I  was  thinking  of  Mr.  Denton,  I  suppose,"  was  the 
answer.  "He's  such  a  good  man  now  that  I  hate  to  see 
him  go  to  the  wall  completely.  Why,  Miss  Marvin,  have 
you  any  idea  what  these  reforms  have  cost  ?  I  cannot  tell 
you  the  figures  exactly,  of  course;  but  the  bills  for  the 
past  month  are  enough  to  frighten  one.  If  he  continues 
his  present  methods  he  will  not  be  in  business  a  year 
longer." 

"I  thought  so,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin,  quickly.  "Religion 
and  business  cannot  be  combined.  The  man  who  follows 
his  conscience  is  sure  to  lose  money." 

"But  he  gains  that  which  is  better,"  spoke  up  Faith, 
quickly.  "Ask  Mr.  Denton  if  this  is  not  true.  He  has 
found  it  so  already." 

"Well,  his  poor  wife  doesn't  share  his  sentiments,"  said 
Mr.  Watkins,  "for  she  has  worried  so  fearfully  over  his 
enormous  losses  already  that  she  is  now  on  the  verge  of 
losing  her  reason." 


The  Blessing  of  Repentance.  189 

"Poor  soul,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin;  "she  must  be  a  very 
worldly  woman,  for,  while  extreme  poverty  is  cruel,  still, 
she  will  probably  never  reach  that  condition." 

"I  am  not  so  sure,"  replied  Mr.  Watkins,  "but  e^en 
moderate  comfort  would  be  cruel  to  her,  for  she  was  born 
and  has  always  lived  in  the  lap  of  luxury." 

"I  suppose  the  news  of  her  son's  wickedness  has  dis 
tressed  her  also,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin,  slowly. 

Faith's  cheeks  flushed  hotly,  and  she  bent  her  head 
over  her  sewing. 

"She  has  tried  to  get  him  to  have  the  marriage  an 
nulled,"  was  Mr.  Watkins'  answer.  "It  could  easily  be 
done,  as  both  parties  were  intoxicated." 

"And  will  not  the  young  man  agree  ?"  asked  Mrs.  Mar 
vin,  mildly.  "I  should  think  he  would  be  just  the  kind  to 
jump  at  the  opportunity." 

"His  father  will  not  hear  of  it,"  said  Mr.  Watkins,  "and 
of  late  even  the  young  man  himself  has  shown  a  willing 
ness  to  own  her." 

Faith  raised  her  head  with  a  light  shining  in  her  eyes. 

"Then  he  is  not  altogether  bad,"  she  said,  very  quickly. 
"If  he  does  right  to  Maggie  now  we  ought  all  to  forgive 
him." 

She  spoke  so  earnestly  that  both  her  mother  and  Mr. 
Watkins  looked  at  her  sharply. 

If  her  mother  understood  her  eagerness,  she  did  not 
betray  it,  but  with  Mr.  Watkins  it  was  different.  He  un 
derstood  and  was  nettled. 

"Is  Mr.  Day  in  business  again?"  asked  Mrs.  Marvin, 
who  seemed  suddenly  to  find  it  necessary  to  change  the 
conversation. 

"No,  he  has  gone  abroad  to  spend  his  money,"  an 
swered  Mr.  Watkins.  "He  says  that  he  made  a  small  for 
tune  out  of  another  man's  religion,  and  that  is  far  more 
than  he  has  ever  made  out  of  his  own,  for  that  was  never 
known  to  bring  him  in  a  penny." 

"That  is  a  dreadful  thing  to  say,"  replied  Mrs.  Marvin, 
slowly,  "for,  while  I  do  not  get  much  comfort  out  of  my 
belief  in  God,  still,  I  realize  that  it  is  my  own  stubborn 
ness  that  keeps  me  from  it.  Some  day  I  hope  to  under 
stand  it  better." 


190  The  Blessing  of  Repentance. 

"You  certainly  will,  dear  mother,"  said  Faith,  brightly, 
"but  if  you  would  only  stop  trying  to  understand  !  If  you 
would  only  accept  it  as  a  little  child,  and  then  trust  to  the 
Heavenly  Father  to  lead  you  !" 

"I  will  some  day,  Faith — I  am  sure  of  it,"  answered  her 
mother.  "I  shall  be  saved,  not  only  through  my  own 
faith,  but  through  that  of  my  daughter." 

"Her  trust  is  sublime,"  said  Mr.  Watkins,  gently.  "I 
shall  never  forget  how  she  comforted  my  poor  Mary." 

"She  comforts  every  one,"  said  Mrs.  Marvin,  smiling. 
"I  named  her  rightly — don't  you  think  so,  Mr.  Watkins?' 

"You  did,  indeed,"  said  the  young  man,  tenderly.  "It 
will  be  a  lucky  man,  indeed,  who  can  say  'My  Faith/  and 
by  those  words  indicate  your  daughter,  Mrs.  Marvin." 

"Oh,  don't!"  said  Faith,  laughing.  "You  are  mocking, 
Mr.  Watkins." 

Like  her  mother,  she,  too,  found  it  convenient  to 
change  the  subject. 

"And  how  about  Mr.  Forbes  ?  Have  you  heard  any 
thing  of  his  plans?"  she  asked,  eagerly.  "I  have  heard  it 
rumored  that  he,  too,  was  trying  to  follow  his  con 
science." 

Mr.  Watkins  smiled  as  he  answered  her  question. 

"He  is  trying  to  do  what  many  men  have  done  before 
him.  He  is  trying  to  buy  his  conscience  with  the  money 
he  makes  dishonestly,  or,  in  other  words,  he  is  a  sinner  on 
week-days  and  a  saint  on  Sundays.  Why,  they  tell  me. 
he  has  started  in  business  for  himself,  and  with  what  he 
can  gouge  from  the  just  wages  of  his  employees  he  pays 
pew  rent  and  gives  to  the  heathen.  It  is  the  same  old 
story— -hypocrisy  and  greed!  Drain  the  blood  of  the 
poor  in  order  to  build  monuments  to  their  ashes !" 

Mr.  Watkins  spoke  bitterly  and  with  a  tightening  of 
the  lips. 

He  was  thinking  of  Miss  Jennings  as  he  finished  his 
utterance. 

After  he  had  gone  Mrs.  Marvin  spoke  suddenly  t<*i 
Faith. 

"Do  you  know,  dear,"  she  said,  simply,  "I  believe  Mr. 
Watkins  is  learning  to  love  you !  He  is  a  fine  young 
man.  Do  you  think  you  could  care  for  him?" 


The  Blessing-  of  Repentance.  191 

"Oh,  no,  no,  mother!  Don't  ever  speak  cf  such  a 
thing!"  cried  Faith,  as  if  the  suggestion  hurt  her. 

Mrs.  Marvin  looked  at  her  keenly.  Her  suspicions 
were  being  verified. 

The  next  morning  Faith  was  well  enough  to  report  for 
duty,  and  the  very  atmosphere  of  the  store  seemed 
changed  as  she  entered. 

Miss  Fairbanks  greeted  her  with  honest  cordiality. 
There  were  tears  in  her  eyes  as  she  spoke  to  Faith  of 
Maggie  Brady. 

"Poor  girl,"  she  whispered;  "she  feels  dreadful  about 
her  lot.  She  wishes  she  had  kept  silent  forever  about 
being  Jim's  wife  and  allowed  him  to  free  himself,  which 
he  could  have  done  very  easily." 

"But  I  thought  she  loved  him,"  said  Faith,  faintly. 

"So  she  does,"  was  the  answer ;  "but  she  knows  it  was 
wrong  for  her  to  marry  as  she  did.  She  says  she  knew 
he  did  not  love  her,  and  felt  sure  that  he  would  never  own 
her." 

But  he  does  now,"  said  Faith,  with  a  questioning  look 
at  the  buyer. 

_  :Yes,  I  believe  he  has  admitted  that  she  is  really  his 
wife,  but  the  poor  girl  has  demanded  that  the  marriage  be 
annulled." 

Faitl  looked  up  eagerly,  but  she  could  not  frame  her 
question. 

She  has  been  praying,  she  tells  me,"  said  Miss  Fair 
banks,  continuing,  "and  she  says  it  is  her  duty  to  give 
Jim  up,  for  to  live  with  him  would  be  wicked  when  he 
does  not  love  her." 

Faith  heard  only  the  first  words  that  Miss  Fairbanks 
had  spoken.  Poor  Maggie  had  been  praying;  then  her 
heart  was  softened. 

"She  is  out,  you  know,  and  free  as  air,"  continued  Miss 
Fairbanks,  "but  she  is  not  coming  back  to  the  store.  Mr. 
Den  ton  has  made  her  an  allowance." 

"And  you,  Miss  Fairbanks?"  asked  Faith,  very  softly. 
"Are  you  praying,  too,  or  is  it  not  yet  the  Lord's  time? 
I  am  anxious  for  you  to  be  happy  in  the  'light  of  His 
countenance.'  " 


192  The  Blessing  of  Repentance. 

Miss  Fairbanks  laid  her  hand  upon  the  young  girl's 
shoulder. 

"Thank  God,"  she  said,  devoutly;  "at  last  I  am 
praying." 

As  Faith  moved  on  toward  her  counter  she  saw  Miss 
Jones  waiting  for  her.  There  was  something  in  the  girl's 
manner  that  struck  Faith' as  unfamiliar. 

"Miss  Marvin/'  she  said,  the  moment  Faith  stepped 
behind  the  counter,  "I  am  a  rude,  treacherous  person,  and 
I  have  wronged  you  cruelly !  Have  you  the  grace  in  your 
heart  to  forgive  a  traitor?" 

Faith  grasped  her  hand,  while  the  tears  sprang  to  her 
eyes. 

"There  is  nothing  to  forgive,  dear  Miss  Jones,"  she 
said,  gently.  "We  have  been  sisters  from  the  first,  only 
you  did  not  understand  it ;  but  tell  me,  is  it  through  Miss 
Fairbanks  that  you  feel  so  differently?" 

"Partly  through  frer  and  partly  through  Mag  Brady," 
was  the  honest  answer.  "Mag  has  told  me  how  you 
talked  to  her,  and  she  also  told  me  what  her  husband  said, 
that  it  was  through  your  influence  that  he  was  now  will 
ing  to  own  her." 

"Did  Mr.  Denton  say  that?"  asked  Faith,  speaking 
slowly. 

"He  did,"  said  Miss  Jones,  promptly,  "and  Mag  just] 
blesses  you  for  it." 

If  Faith  had  felt  one  misgiving  over  that  particular  ac 
tion,  it  vanished  now  like  a  bit  of  vapor. 

Mag  "blessed"  her  for  the  words  that  had  hurt  her  so 
to  speak.  Surely  there  was  balm  for  all  wounds,  even 
those  which  burned  the  deepest. 

Faith's  morning  was  the  happiest  she  had  ever  known 
in  the  store,  and  at  the  luncheon  hour,  as  she  went  to  the 
cloak-room,  she  had  but  one  wish  in  her  heart,  and  that 
was  for  the  conversion  of  wicked  Lou  Willis. 


on 
a 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

LOU     IS     CAUGHT     AT     LAST. 

As  Faith  passed  Mr.  Denton's  office  on  the  way  to  the 
cloak-room  she  heard  a  woman's  voice  raised  to  a  very 
high  pitch,  and  immediately  recognized  it  as  belonging  to 
Miss  Willis. 

She  had  hardly  had  time  to  wonder  what  had  occurred, 
when  the  door  flew  open  and  she  had  a  good  look  right 
straight  into  the  office. 

Ben  Tyler,  the  detective,  was  standing  with  his  hand 
the  door  and  a  very  ugly  expression  on  his  face,  while 

few  feet  further  back  stood  Mr.  Denton,  apparently 
trying  to  reason  with  the  infuriated  woman. 

One  glance  was  enough  to  tell  Faith  what  had  hap 
pened.  Lou  had  been  stealing  again,  and  the  detective 
had  caught  her. 

For  a  moment  the  youri£  girl  hardly  knew  what  to  do, 
and  in  that  momentary  hesitation  she  heard  what  Lou 
•was  saying. 

"He's  a  sneak  and  a  liar!"  she  screamed,  pointing  at 
the  detective.  "He  can't  prove  that  I  stole  anything!  I 
defy  him  to  do  it !" 

"But  the  goods  were  found  in  your  pocket,"  said  Mr. 
Denton,  firmly. 

"OK,  that  doesn't  prove  anything,"  was  the  girl's  quick- 
answer.  "It's  very  easy  for  any  one  to  put  stolen  goods 
in  my  pocket;  it's  been  done  before,  and  both  of  you 
know'  it !" 

"But  I  saw  you  take  the  watch/'  said  the  detective, 
angrily.  "So  what's  the  use  of  denying  it  any  longer!" 

Faith  was  hurrying  away  now  as  fast  as  she  could  go. 
She  knew  it  was  not  her  place  to  interfere  in  such  matters. 

"A  month  ago  I  might  have  done  so,"  she  whispered 
to  herself,  "but  now  that  Mr.  Denton  is  a  Christian,  he 
will  deal  mercifully  with  her." 


194  Lou  is  Caught  at  Last. 

When  she  reached  the  cloak-room  the  utmost  excite 
ment  prevailed,  and  the  first  words  that  Faith  heard  dis 
tinctly  were  spoken  by  the  "head  of  stock"  in  the  jewelry 
department. 

"I've  suspected  her  for  a  long  time,"  she  said,  a  little 
viciously.  "She's  a  good-for-nothing,  anyway,  who  isn't 
above  stealing!" 

"They  say  her  father  was  a  thief ;  so  it  runs  in  the  fam 
ily,  I  guess,"  said  another  voice ;  "and  then,  her  mother 
was  a  bad  character ;  so  Lou  comes  by  it  honestly !" 

"Oh,  girls !  don't !"  cried  Faith,  who  could  endure  it  no 
longer.  "Please  don't  say  such  cruel  things!  It  is 
dreadful  to  hear  them!" 

"Well,  they  are  true,  so  why  shouldn't  we  say  them?" 
asked  one. 

"She's  been  caught  'dead  to  rights,'  so  what's  the  use 
of  mincing  matters  ?"  said  another. 

"But  does  it  do  any  good  to  bring  up  all  these  things?" 
asked  Faith.  "If  the  poor  girl  'comes  honestly  by  them/ 
should  we  not  be  charitable  even  in  speaking  of  her?" 

"There  is  something  in  that,"  spoke  up  a  woman  that 
Faith  did  not  know.  "It's  another  case  of  the  'sins  of 
the  fathers  being  visited  upon  the  children/  If  there 
was  nothing  else  in  the  world  to  keep  me  from  believing 
in  a  God,  that  verse  in  the  Bible  would  surely  do  it!" 

"Well,  I  don't  need  that  verse,"  said  another  voice, 
"for  the  misery  and  injustice  on  earth  are  enough  to 
prove  that  no  God  of  love  or  mercy  could  possibly  have 
ordained  it." 

"But  don't  we  make  a  great  deal  of  the  injustice  and 
misery  for  ourselves?"  asked  Faith,  very  soberly;  "for 
instance,  hasn't  Lou  just  made  a  lot  of  misery  for  her 
self?  She  knew  she  could  not  go  on  stealing  forever 
without  being  punished.'' 

"She  probably  couldn't  help  it,"  was  the  hesitating  an 
swer.  "Perhaps  she  is  a  kleptomaniac — you  know  there 
are  such  people/' 

"Oh,  but  they  are  always  rich  people,  who  can  afford 
to  pay  the  judge 'for  letting  them  off  easy!"  said  one  of 
the  girls,  laughing.  "When  a  poor  woman  steals  she's 


Lou  is  Caught  at  Last.  195 

an  out-and-out  thief;  but  when  a  rich  woman  steals  she's 
a  kleptomaniac." 

A  laugh  followed  this  explanation,  but  Faith  could  not 
join  in  it.  Her  thoughts  were  too  full  of  the  fate  which 
had  overtaken  Lou,  and  which  she  knew  was  only  a  natu 
ral  consequence. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  scream  torn  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Denton's  office,  then  another,  and  another,  each  more 
shrill  and  vibrating. 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation  every  girl  in  the  cloak 
room  started  for  the  stairs.  When  they  got  there  they 
saw  a  sight  that  made  them  pale  with  horror. 

Lou  Willis  was  struggling  like  a  maniac  between  two 
officers,  who  were  trying  to  snap  a  pair  of  handcuffs  on 
her  wrists. 

They  were  both  powerful  men,  but  the  girl  was  resist 
ing  them  fiercely.  She  slapped  and  scratched  their  faces, 
all  the  time  shrieking  her  vituperations. 

They  finally  succeeded  in  locking  the  "bracelets"  and 
forcing  her  into  a  chair — she  was  too  thoroughly  ex 
hausted  to  hold  out  much  longer. 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  she,  isn't  crazy?"  whispered 
one  of  the  girls  on  the  stairs. 

The  tears  flowed  down  Faith's  cheeks,  but  she  an 
swered  the  whisper. 

"Poor  Lou!  Poor  Lou !.  She  must  be  crazy!  No 
woman  could  act  or  even  feel  like  that  and  be  in  her 
right  senses !" 

The  door  of  the  office  was  suddenly  closed,  and,  as  Lou 
was  silent  now,  the  girls  trooped  slowly  back  to  the  cloak 
room. 

"They'll  take  her  away  as  soon  as  she's  quiet,"  said  one, 
"and  that  will  mean  at  least  six  months  on  Blackwell's 
Island." 

"She's  been  there  before,  I  think,"  spoke  up  a  cash 
girl.  "You  know,  she  was  caught  stealing  in  another 
store,  but  Denton,  Day  &  Co.  didn't  know  it." 

"Did  you  know  it  when  she  came  here?" 

It  was  Miss  Jones  who  asked  the  question.  She  had 
come  in  just  in  time  to  hear  the  last- of  the  conversa 
tion. 


196  Lou  is  Caught  at  Last. 

"Of  course  I  knew  it,  but  what  of  that?  Suppose  I 
was  going  to  prevent  the  girl  from  earning  her  living?" 

"But  didn't  you  think  she'd  be  apt  to  steal  again?" 

The  girl  laughed  coarsely  before  she  answered. 

"Well,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  hoped  she  would!"  she 
said,  glibly.  "I  would  like  to  have  seen  her  get  away 
with  the  whole  establishment !  What  were  Denton,  Day 
&  Co.  doing  about  that  time,  I'd  like  to  know?  Weren't 
they  robbing  the  poor  devils  who  made  their  goods,  cheat 
ing  their  customers  with  inferior  garments  and  exorbi 
tant  prices,  and  last,  but  not  least,  weren't  they  wearing 
the  souls  out  of  our  bodies  with  the  system  of  slavery  that 
they  employed  in  the  building?  What  did  I  care  who 
cheated  them  or  even  who  robbed  them  ?  Wouldn't  they 
grind  me  to  death  just  as  they  did  poor  Miss  Jennings? 
Of  course,  if  it  should  happen  now  I  should  feel  very 
different ;  still,  I'm  a  good  deal  sorrier  for  Lou  than  I 
am  for  Mr.  Denton!" 

"We  would  all  feel  different  now,"  spoke  up  Faith 
very  quickly.  "We  would  all  scorn  to  be  disloyal  to  such 
a  good  employer  as  Mr.  Denton!" 

"He's  the  best  friend  we  girls  ever  had,"  spoke  up  an 
other  clerk.  "Why,  we  are  in  heaven  now,  compared 
with  what  we  were  a  month  ago !  Shorter  hours,  bigger 
pay,  no  slave-drivers  over  us,  and,  best  of  all,  we  are 
treated  like  human  beings.  There  is  no  more  of  that 
feeling  that  we  are  a  lot  of  cattle!" 

"The  Lord  be  praised  for  all  His  goodness,"  said 
Faith,  devoutly,  "for  what  but  His  mercy  has  enacted  this 
change?  It  is  a  demonstration  of  His  love  through  His 
servant,  Mr.  Denton." 

"You  are  right,  Miss  Marvin,"  said  Miss  Jones,  firmly. 
"There  is  no  power  on  earth  that  could  have  altered  these 
conditions,  and  I  for  one  am  ready  and  glad  to  admit  it !' 

Faith  looked  at  the  speaker  with  beaming  eyes.  It 
delighted  her  to  witness  her  companion's  fearless  de 
meanor. 

"There  they  go!  Lou  and  the  officers !"  cried  cash  girl 
Number  83.  ''They  are  almost  carrying  her  down  the 
stairs!  I  wouldn't  be  in  her  shoes  for  a  thousand  dol 
lars." 


Lou  is  Caught  at  Last.  197 

"Perhaps  shell  repent,  like  poor  Mag  Brady,"  said 
Miss  Jones,  thoughtfully.  "After  Mag's  wonderful  con 
version,  I  feel  that  there  is  hope  for  all  of  us." 

Faith  wiped  the  tears  from  her  eyes  as  she  saw  the 
last  of  Lou. 

Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet "     She  could  not 

finish  the  verse.     The  next  instant  she  burst  out  crying- 
she  was  weeping  for  Lou  Willis. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE      PENANCE      FOR      SIN. 

Maggie  Brady  had  been  free  for  exactly  a  week,  but 
the  prison  pallor  had  not  yet  left  her  features. 

Thanks  to  Mr.  Denton,  she  had  a  comfortable  home 
and  her  husband  was  awaiting  for  permission  to  join  her. 

She  had  not  seen  Faith  since  that  day  in  the  jail  when 
she  read  the  girl's  carefully  guarded  secret,  but  in  the  few 
short  interview's  which  she  had  with  her  husband  she 
learned  that  which  caused  her  to  bless  the  young  girl  fer 
vently. 

James  Denton  told  her  honestly  that  he  did  not  love  her, 
but  his  manner  as  he  said  it  was  gentle,  even  tender. 

He  regretted  his  foolish  marriage,  both  for  her  sake  and 
his  own,  still  he  was  ready  now  to  do  his  whole  duty  by 
her,  and  it  was  Faith  Marvin's  words  that  had  taught 
him  that  duty. 

I  kit  Maggie  Brady  was  a  greatly  changed  woman. 
There  were  thoughts  in  her  heart  which  she  revealed  to 
110  one,  but  which  influenced  her  every  deed  and  decision. 
She  had  gone  over  and  over  her  wasted  life  and  could 
find  no  blame  for  any  one  individual,  for,  looked  at  from 
all  points,  it  was  conditions  that  were  her  enemies,  con 
ditions  made  by  the  rich  in  their  greed  of  plunder. 

If  she  had  been  stronger  she  might  have  combatted 
these  conditions,  but  the  uselessness  of  such  a  struggle 
had  been  demonstrated  by  so  many — she  did  not  have 
courage  or  faith  in  her  own  ability  to  conquer. 

Like  hundreds  of  poor  girls,  she  had  drifted  from  bad 
to  worse,  until  that  mad  marriage  to  Jim  Denton  capped 
the  climax  of  her  wickedness. 

Now,  with  her  newly  awakened  understanding  she  de 
sired  to  do  penance  for  her  sin.  It  was  a  part  of  that  old 
religion  which  she  had  long  ago  discarded. 

At  the  confessional  she  told  her  wrongdoing  and  re- 


The  Penance  for  Sin.  199 

ceived  absolution  so  far  as  it  is  in  the  power  of  God's 
mediators  to  absolve  one,  but  to  promise  to  live  uprightly 
forevermore  did  not  satisfy  her  soul.  She  felt  the  need 
further  self-abnegation;  she  must  crucify  body  and 
spirit  to  complete  the  penance. 

With  the  calmness,  even  exultation,  of  a  martyr  she 
made  her  preparations.  There  were  wishes  to  be  ex 
pressed  and  letters  to  be  written. 

One  of  these  letters  reached  Faith  as  she  sat  with  her 
mother  early  one  evening;  the  writing  so  faint  and  uneven 
that  she  could  hardly  decipher  it. 

"Oh    mother!  mother!"  she  cried  as  she  perused  it. 
yuick!  get  on  your  hat  and  come  with  me!    The  letter 
is  from  Maggie— she  is  sick— or  dying!" 

As  they  hurried  from  the  house  Mr.  Watkins  joined 
In  five  minutes  they  were  in  a  Carriage  driving 
swiftly  toward  Maggie's  address. 

As  Faith  opened  the  door  leading  to  Maggie's  rooms 
she  came  upon  a  scene  that  nearly  paralyzed  her  senses 
Poor  Maggie  was  half  lying  and  half  sitting  upon  a 
ch,  her  husband  supporting  her  tenderly  while  Miss 
Fairbanks  stood  by  administering  a  cordial.     There  was 
another  person  in  the  room  whom  Faith  knew  at  once  to 
be  a  physician,  but  she  had  eyes  nor  ears  for  no  one  but 
Maggie. 

"Oh,  you  poor,  dear  child!  What  has  happened?"  she 
asked  quickly  as  she  went  over  and  knelt  by  the  side  of 
the  poor  creature. 

"^thought  you  would  come,"  whispered  Maggie  faint- 
I  wanted  to  see  you,  oh,  so  much !    I  wanted— to— 
thank — you !" 

She  lay  back  on  her  pillow  with  a  stifled  groan  while 
James  Denton  wiped  her  brow— his  own  the  color  of 
ashes. 

"You  were  so  good/'  murmured  poor  Maggie  again  as 
Faith  leaned  over  her.  "You  taught  me  to  pray  Mav 
the  good  God  bless  you." 

She  closed  her  eyes  and  a  sigh  escaped  her  lips.     In 
an  instant  the  physician  took  her  wrist  between  his  fin 
gers. 


2oo  The  Penance  for  Sin. 

"Gone,"  he  said,  softly,  "the  poor  child  is  at  rest.  Cheer 
up,  Mr.  Denton,  your  wife  is  in  heaven." 

'Thanks  to  her,"  whispered  James  Denton,  with  a  look 
toward  Faith.  She  was  kneeling,  convulsed  with  sorrow, 
with  her  mother's  arms  about  her. 

No  one  really  knew  how  the  secret  leaked  out  first,  tor 
the  physician,  acting  as  he  thought -wise,  refrained  from 
telling  it  openly,  but  Faith  soon  learned  that  Maggie's 
death  was  not  natural— she  had  died  by  her  own  hand- 
it  was  her  full  and  complete  penance. 

"It  is  not  for  us  to  judge,"  whispered  Mrs.  Marvin 
when  she  heard  it. 

"God  alone  knew  her  thoughts,'  was  taith  s  tearful  an- 

swer. 

When  the  news  reached  the  store,  even  Mr.  Denton 
wept.  It  was  the  end  of  a  familiar  but  heart-rending 

tragedy. 

And  now  it  came  time  for  Faith  to  change  her  plans— 
for  reasons  of  her  own  she  felt  that  she  must  stay  behind 
the  counter  no  longer. 

James  Denton  had  gone  abroad,  so  she  put  him  out  « 
her  thoughts  as  completely  as  possible;  only  a  vagrant 
memory  now  and  then  showed  her  the  lurking  shadow  of 
her  girlish  passion. 

As  soon  as  she  could  she  had  a  talk  with  Mr.  Denton, 
whom  she  found,  as  usual,  busily  working  in  his  office. 

"See,  Miss  Marvin,"  he  said  almost  gayly  as  Faith  en 
tered  the  door,  "here  are  a  do^en  letters  from  Christian 
people  this  morning,  all  congratulating  me  on  the  changes 
in  my  store !  I  have  been  getting  a  few  every  day,  but  this 
is  a  splendid  showing !  Here  is  one,"  he  added,  selecting 
an  envelope,  "who 'even  offers  to  put  a  large  sum  of 
money  at  my  disposal  just  as  soon  as  I  have  proven  that 
Christianity  "is  practicable  and  profitable." 

"And  can  you  do  this,  sir?"  asked  Faith  very  eagerly. 

A  hopeful  'expression  flitted  across  Mr.  Denton's  face. 

"Mr  Gibson  tells  rne  that  our  business  is  increasing 
every  clay,"  he  answered  slowly,  "and  that  the  poor  peo 
ple  are  flocking  in  to  look  at  our  honest  bargains,  and 
YOU  see  here  I  have  proof  that  the  rich  people  are  watch- 


insr  us. 


The  Penance  for  Sin.  201 

"Oh,  I  shall  be  so  glad  ! — so  thankful !"  said  Faith,  with 
a  bright  smile.  "I  was  sure  you  would  be  rewarded  for 
setting  such  a  noble  example !  But  I  have  come  to  ask  a 
favor"  Mr.  Denton,"  she  added,  softly.  "I  want  you  to 
give  me  another  position  in  your  store  instead  o>f  the  one 
I  occupy  at  present." 

Mr.  Denton  looked  at  her,  and  understood  at  once. 

"In  other  words,  you  wish  to  enlarge  your  field  of  use 
fulness,  do  you  not,  Miss  Marvin?  You  think  you  can 
shed  the  light  more  successfully  if  you  have  a  wider  scope 
of  action." 

"That  is  it  exactly,"  was  Faith's  glad  answer;  "but 
please,  Mr.  Denton,  I  don't  wish  any  salary." 

Mr.  Denton  glanced  up  in  a  little  surprise.  He  had  not 
yet  even  heard  of  her  change  of  fortune. 

"Yes,  I  have  money  enough  now  to  live  comfortably," 
she  explained,  "and  I  can  even  help  others,  I  think,  a  lit 
tle.  It  came  to  my  mother  some  time  ago,  a  few  thou 
sands  that  were  due  her  from  her  father's  estate,  so  we 
are  in  a  position  to  be  helpful  without  remuneration." 

"And  you  will  stay  with  me  still?"  asked  Mr.  Denton, 
smiling.  "You  will  sacrifice  your  liberty  and  your  home 
life  to  stay  here  and  labor,  Miss  Marvin?" 

"It  will  be  no  sacrifice,  I  can  assure  you !"  cried  Faith, 
brightly,  "for  I  am  far  happier  here  than  I  would  be  any 
where  else,  I  fancy !" 

"Then  I  appoint  you  as  general  inspector  of  my  store," 
said  Mr.  Denton,  promptly,  "and  your  duties  are  to  con 
sist  of  daily  talks  with  the  clerks  and  daily  hints  to  me 
how  I  can  improve  their  conditions." 

"Oh,  that  will  be  delightful!"  cried -Faith,  excitedly, 
"only  I  will  not  promise  to  be  a  very  wise  inspector,  for  I 
am  so  young  that  I  am  sadly  in  need  of  experience." 

"  'The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom/ 
I  do  not  tremble  for  the  results,"  said  Mr.  Denton,  smil 
ing. 

Faith  went  back  to  the  department  and  told  Miss  Fair 
banks  of  the  new  arrangement,  and  in  less  than  an  hour 
every  clerk  in  the  store  knew  it. 

"Just  think,  she  has  money  and  yet  she  will  stay  here," 


2oa  The  Penance  for  Sin. 

said  one,  "and  she  is  to  look  after  our  interests,  which  is 
the  strangest  thing  about  it !" 

"Everything  is  strange  here  nowadays,"  was  the 
thoughtful  reply.  "Why,  I'm  sure  this  is  the  only  store 
in  the  world  that  is  run  on  a  Christian  basis !'' 

The  next  remark  was  made  in  a  lower  tone,  as  if  the 
speaker  was  doubtful  of  her  own  statements  in  the  mat 
ter. 

"And  do  you  know,"  she  said,  slowly,  "the  business  of 
the  store  is  actually  increasing !  I  got  it  straight  from  the 
head  bookkeeper  that  Mr.  Denton  is  holding  his  own 
splendidly  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  every  one  predicted  a 
sure  failure.'* 

"Well,  I  hope  I.  shall  never  have  to  work  anywhere 
else,"  was  the  answer.  "It  would  kill  me  to  go  back  to 
those  old  days  of  slavery  and  poor  salaries !" 

As  the  weeks  passed  by,  even  the  greatest  doubter  be 
came  convinced  that  the  business  of  the  store  was  improv 
ing.  Great  crowds  came  every  day  to  look  about,  if  not 
to  buy,  for  their  curiosity  as  well  as  interest  was  genuine 
and  unbounded. 

Many  flocked  to  the  store  to  compare  the  prices  of 
goods  with  those  of  the  other  emporiums  and  to  draw 
their  own  conclusions  as  to  the  sincerity  of  the  enterprise. 

A  high  price  on  an  article  was  often  misleading  until 
the  manufacturer's  side  of  the  question  was  explained  and 
understood,  and  so,  too,  a  low  price  often  produced  vari 
ous  criticism  from  those  wrho  could  not  differentiate  be 
tween  just  and  usurious  profit. 

But  in  the  main  the  efforts  of  the  merchant  were  pretty 
fairly  understood  and  a  perfect  flood  of  congratulations 
followed  the  enlightenment. 

"My  motto  is  consideration  for  the  manufacturer,  jus 
tice  to  myself  and  honest  value  to  my  patrons,"  said  Mr. 
Denton  to  all.  "If  I  vary  from  this,  it  will  be  through 
error,  not  malice." 

One  by  one  the  buyers  learned  their  lesson  of  right 
dealing,  and  the  counters  of  the  big  establishment  showed 
the  result  of  their  labors. 

They  were  filled  with  goods  whose  first  values  had  not 


The  Penance  for  Sin.  203 

been  depreciated  and  whose  sale  profits  were  in  propor 
tion  to  the  labor  expended  in  handling  them. 

As  Mr.  Gibson  had  said,  poor  people  had  flocked  to  the 
stort.  The}/  were  satisfied  that,  at  last,  the}'  would  get 
the  worth  of  every  penny. 

"It's  funny  to  see  how  suspicious  they  were  of  us  at 
first,"  he  said  to  Faith  one  day.  "Why,  they  were  more 
doubtful  of  us  than  ever,  I  do  believe,  and  all  because  we 
had  enrolled  under  a  Christian  banner." 

"I  don't  blame  them,"  said  Faith  slowly,  "for  have  they 
not  good  cause  to  doubt?  Has  not  hypocrisy  and  deceit 
always  assumed  the  garb  of  Christianity  ?  _  It  is  the  church 
people  who  are  to  blame  for  it — the  insincere  ones,  I  mean 
— so  many  of  them  are  content  with  words  alone.  When 
it  comes  to  deeds  they  are  tried  and  found  wanting." 

''That  is  why  I  have  never  believed,"  said  Mr.  Gibson 
slowly.  "I  saw  through  their  shams  and  thought  they  were 
all  alike !  Why,  most  people  use  religion  as  a  regular  coat 
of  mail,  behind  which  they  commit  every  sin  in  the  calen 
dar!  And  others,  particularly  business  people,  use  it 
merely  as  a  trade-mark  or  sign  of  respectability,  and  then 
laugh  In  their  sleeves  at  the  number  of  dupes  they  make 
with  it!"  < 

"Well,  there's  no  sham  or  hyprocrisy  in  Mr.  Denton's 
dealings,"  cried  Faith,  brightly,  "for  no  man  could  enter 
upon  a  Christian  course  with  greater  sacrifice,  both  of 
friends  and  money." 


CHAPTER  XL. 

A      GOLDEN      OUTLOOK. 

One  year  had  passed  since  Maggie  Brady's  death,  and 
Faith  Marvin  was  nearing  her  nineteenth  birthday. 

She  was  still  living  with  her  mother  in  their  pretty  lit 
tle  flat  and  working  faithfully  at  the  store  with  Mr.  Den- 
ton.  The  year  had  brought  many  changes  in  that  estab 
lishment,  and  there  were  many  new  faces  in  place  of  the 
old  ones. 

Faith  talked  over  these  changes  as  she  sat  with  her 
mother  and  Mr.  Watkins  in  one  of  their  social  chats  after 
the  day's  work  was  over. 

"It  hardly  seems  like  the  same  place,"  she  said,  happily. 
"Whv,  we  are  just  one  big  family,  with  Mr.  Den  ton  for 
our  father!" 

"And  Mr.  Denton  is  certainly  holding  his  own  finan- 
/ially,"  paid  Mr.  Watkins,  a  trifle  reluctantly,  "while  the 
papers  are  full  of  reported  failures  all  around  us." 

"I  am  so  glad  that  Mrs.  Denton  is  recovering,"  said 
Mrs.  Marvin.  "I  did  sympathize  with  her  so  during  the 
first  few  months  of  her  anxiety !" 

"We  are  all  glad  she  is  better,"  said  Faith,  quickly,  "for 
she  comes  down  to  the  store  often,  and  she  is  really  very 
charming.  But  the  greatest  changes  are  in  the  clerks 
themselves,"  she  went  on,  thoughtfully.  "They  are  so 
courteous,  so  loyal  and  so  kind  to  each  other.  Why,  a 
new  girl  is  welcomed  and  made  one  of  us  at  once,  and,  no 
matter  what  her  faults  may  be,  we  are  almost  sure  to  win 
her  over.  Of  course,  we  miss  the  little- cash  girls,  but  the 
tube  system  is  much  better,  and  it  did  seem  so  terrible  to 
think  of  those  children  being  forced  to  earn  their  living !" 

Mrs.  Marvin  nodded  her  head  sympathetically  and  her 
daughter  continued. 

"Mr.  Gunning  is  so  different  that  you  would  hardly 
know  him,"  she  said,  "and  do  you  know,  Fred,  he  and 


A  Golden  Outlook.  205 

Miss  Jones  are  to  be  married  next  Tuesday?  The  dear 
girl,  through  God's  grace,  has  had  the  happiness  to  re 
deem  him.  Then  Miss  Fairbanks  has  developed  just  the 
kindest  and  sweetest  sort  of  character !  Why,  I  believe 
every  girl  in  the  department  loves  her!" 

"What  do  you  hear  of  Lou  Willis  ?"  asked  her  mother  # 
after  a  moment.  "That  poor  girl  who  was  arrested  for' 
stealing  jewelry." 

"She  has  just  come  back  from  serving  her  sentence/' 
was  Faith's  answer,  "and  Mr.  Denton  is  considering 
whether  he  had  better  reinstate  her." 

"It  will  be  a  great  risk,"  said  Mr.  Watkins,  soberly, 
"for  'what's  bred  in  the  bone  will  come  out  in  the  flesh,' 
unless,  of  course,  the  spirit  of  Christ  takes  possession  of 
the  body." 

"Wre  hope  it  will,"  said  Faith,  almost  cheerily,  "and 
then  Lou  has  had  a  fearful  experience — she  may  be  dif 
ferent  altogether." 

"And  Miss  Dean,"  suggested  Mrs.  Marvin,  in  a  rem- 
iniscent  manner. 

Faith  laughed  a  little  before  she  answered.  "She  finds 
nothing  to  do  in  the  store  now,"  she  said,  "but  we  still 
differ  a  little  in  our  notions  and  theories." 

Mrs.  Marvin  left  the  room  a  few  minutes  later. 
Whether  it  was  done  for  a  purpose  or  not,  Faith  did  not 
have  time  to  conjecture. 

"Faith,  dear  Faith,"  whispered  Mr.  Watkins,  quickly, 
"am  I  never,  never  to  hear  your  answer?" 

He  bent  toward  her  so  pleadingly  that  Faith  'closed  her 
eyes  instinctively.  It  cut  her  to  the  heart  to  have  to  wit 
ness  his  sorrow. 

"I  have  loved  you  so  long,  so  patiently,  dear!  Can 
you  not  give  me  some  hope,  even  though  it  is  for  the  far- 
distant  future?" 

"I  cannot !  Oh,  I  cannot !"  murmured  Faith  in  agony. 
"Oh,  1  wish  I  could,  Mr.  Watkins,  but  it  is  impossible !  I 
cannot  love  you !" 

The  young  man  rose  without  a  word  and  took  his  hat 
from  the  table. 

"Good-night,  Faith,"  he  said,  gently.    "Good-night,  lit- 


206  A  Golden  Outlook. 

tie  sister !  Don't  worry  about  me !  Some  day  I  will  get 
over  it!" 

He  went  silently  away  without  waiting  for  Mrs1.  Mar 
vin.  Faith  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief  that  her  sad  duty  was 
over. 

"You  .have  refused  him,  Faith  !" 

Her  mother  spoke  softly.  "Poor  fellow !  I  am  sorry, 
but  you  know  your  own  mind,  darling." 

They  sat  down  again  and  Faith  took  up  a  book.  A  peal 
at  the  bell  made  her  drop  it  suddenly. 

A  few  moments  later  young  James  Denton  entered.  He 
was  taller,  broader  and  deeply  bronzed  by  travel. 

"At  last,  I  see  you  again,"  he  whispered  softly  as  soon 
as  Mrs.  Marvin  had  left  them  together. 

"Tell  me  of  your  travels,"  said  Faith  very  quickly.  The 
color  had  risen  to  her  face  and  her  heart  was  beating 
wildly. 

"Well,  I  went  all  over  Europe  and  the  Continent,"  he 
said  wearily ;  "but  a  year  is  not  long  enough  for  a  fellow 
to  down  a  bad  reputation !  I  have  come  back  to  find  my 
self  in  contempt,  the  same  as  before,  but  I  have  decided 
that  I  shall  not  run  away  again.  I  am  going  to  try  and 
live  down  what  I  could  not  run  away  from." 

Faith  looked  at  him  questioningly,  but  did  not  speak. 
The  young  man  understood  the  glance  and  hurried  with 
his  explanation. 

"I  am  going  to  work  in  the  store  with  my  father  now," 
he  said,  quietly,  "and  I  am  going  to  put  in  a  small  sum  of 
money  that  has  come  to  me  in  the  past  year  from  a  dis 
tant  relative." 

"But  are  you  not  afraid  you  will  lose  it?"  asked  Faith, 
a  little  shyly.  "You  know  you  always  had  grave  doubts 
as  to  the  financial  results  of  your  father's  undertaking." 

"Well,  what  if  I  do?"  asked  the  young  man,  smiling 
back  at  her.  "Others  have  done  as  much,  and  I  can  but 
follow  in  their  footsteps,  and  then  reformation  to  be  ac 
ceptable  should  not  be  half-hearted." 

There  was  a  light  in  his  eyes  that  was  not  to  be  mis 
taken.  As  Faith  beheld  it  she  uttered  a  cry  of  joy  and 
held  out  both  hands  toward  him  impulsively. 


A  Golden  Outlook.  207 

Young  Denton  gathered  both  her  hands  into  one  of  his 
own,  while  his  other  rested  lightly  upon  her  shoulder. 

"And  after  I  have  proven  myself  worthy  may  I  claim 
my  reward?"  he  whispered.  "May  I  ask  my  good  angel 
to  share  her  labors  with  me  and  so  crown  her  noble  life 
with  the  seal  of  forgiveness?'' 

"I  have  nothing  to  forgive,"  whispered  Faith,  blushing 
deeply.  "If  Christ  has  forgiven  there  is  nothing  further." 

"And  you  will  marry  me,  Faith,  if  I  prove  worthy?"  he 
murmured.  "For,  oh,  I  love  you,  sweetheart,  and  I  can 
not  live  without  you !" 

"I  will  marry  you — yes,"  was  the  girl's  low  answer,  "if 
at  the  end  of  a  year  you  are  still  in  the  faith — still  carry 
ing  the  light  to  the  darkest  places." 

There  was  just  one  kiss  to  seal  the  compact,  but  that 
kiss  was  a  benediction,  a  holy  consummation. 


Meanwhile  Mr.  Denton  was  still  sitting  in  his  chair, 
although  the  big  building  was  empty  of  all  but  its  watch 
man. 

His  head  was  bowed  down  upon  his  bosom,  as  the  year 
just  passed  spread  panorama-like  before  his  vision. 

What  had  he  accomplished  of -his  Master's  work?  He 
breathed  a  sigh  that  it  had  been  so  little. 

He  had  tried  to  put  justice  in  the  place  of  its  opposite, 
to  install  sweet  liberty  in  the  place  of  oppression.  In  his 
dealings  with  his  fellow  men  he  had  been  fair  and  equit 
able,  even  leaning  Coward  mercy  when  opportunity  of 
fered. 

In  fact,  he  had  incorporated  the  Spirit-  of  Righteous 
ness  into1  the  Temple  of  Mammon  and  molded  worldly  af 
fairs  after  the  principles  of  divine  teaching. 

And  what  to  him  had  been  the  results?  He  smiled  with 
grateful  satisfaction  as  he  briefly  reviewed  them. 

There  was  a  trifling  shortage  as  compared  with  the  ac 
counts,  of  previous  years,  so  trifling  that  it  astonished  him 
when  he  reflected  upon  the  amounts  which  he  had  paid 
his  two  partners.  Beyond  this  the  business  of  the  store 
had  been  good  and  his  books  showed  new  accounts  re- 


208  A  Golden  Outlook. 

cently  opened  with  wealthy  persons,  which  assured  him 
beyond  doubt  that  they  indorsed  his  methods. 

Further  than  thiSj  there  were  offers  of  capital  from  a 
dozen  different  sources.  The  sincere  Christians  of  the 
city  could  not  have  expressed  more  tangibly  their  ardent 
desire  to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  the  merchant 
who  had  resolved  to  deal  according  to  his  conscience. 

The  outlook  for  the  future  was  more  than  hopeful.  He 
could  see  no  obstacle  in  the  path  of  his  ultimate  victory. 

There  should  be  no  more  grinding  down  in  the  work 
rooms  where  his  goods  were  made,  no  undercutting  of 
prices  to  ruin  a  brother  merchant. 

He  should  be  just  with  others  and  they  must  be  just 
with  him  or  he  would  refuse  absolutely  to  have  dealings 
with  them. 

Every  employee  of  his  establishment  should  be  suitably 
remunerated,  and  by  this  treatment  he  felt  assured  that  he 
would  receive  their  ablest  service. 

Co-operation  in  his  humane  work  was  all  that  he- 
needed,  and  here,  on  his  desk  and  in  his  books,  was  ample 
proof  of  this  assistance.  He  bowed  his  head  in  thanks 
giving  as  he  finished  his  reflections. 

''Surely,  with  God  all  things  are  possible/'  he  mur 
mured  audibly,  and  then  a  thought  of  his  son's  conversion 
and  his  wife's  gradual  but  sure  return  to  reason  with 
Health  brought  a  flow  of  happiness  that  irradiated  his 
countenance. 

A  glimpse  of  starlit  sky  was  visible  through  his  win 
dow  and  Mr.  Denton  raised  his  eyes  to  it  in  solemn  con 
templation. 

"Thy  ways  are  not  our  ways,"  he  whispered  humbly, 
"but  though  the  cross  is  heavy  and  hard  to  bear,  Thou 
wilt  give  Thy  servant  a  just  reward,  and  the  end  is  peace 
— peace  that  passeth  understanding." 


THE    END. 


The  Hair: 

Its  Growth,  Structure,  Diseases, 
and  How  to  MaKe  it  Beautiful 


In  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world  the  hair  is  re 
garded   as  essential  to   beauty.     Even  the  earliest 

records  of  ancient  history  tell 
of  the  importance  of  the  hair  aa 
an  accessory  to  human  beauty. 
No  matter  how  perfect  the  fea 
tures,  if  a  good  head  of  hair  is 
lacking,  the  thought  of  beauty 
vanishes.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  the  features  are  far  from 
perfect  a  beautiful  growth  of 
hair  at  once  draws  the  atten 
tion,  and  all  else  is  forgotten. 
If  your  hair  is  already  beau 
tiful,  you  should  read  these 
pages  in  order  to  know  how 
best  to  keep  it  so  ;  and  if  it  is 
too  thin,  or  is  falling  out,  01 
losing  its  natural  color,  or  un 
desirably  affected  in  any  way, 
then  you  certainly  should  learn 
how  to  correct  these  evils. 

A  RAID.  A  hair  consists  of 
two  parts.  The  root,  which  is 
sj,tuffed  i«  the  skin,  and  the 

ecting  above  the  skin.  B.  oil  shaft,  which  projects  above  it, 

tti&?£K5&£  Tne  hair  rests  in  a  sac,  from 
i*  the  hair  buib  which  it  is  easily  pulled.     At 

the  bottom  of  this  sac  is  a  little  eminence  called  the 
hair  bulb. 


THE  HAIR  BULB.  Here  is  the  very  seat  of  life  for  the 
hair.  Here  it  begins  its  growth.  Here  the  food 
brought  to  it  by  the  blood  is  changed 
into  hair  structure.  Here  is  where 
health  for  the  hair  resides,  and  here 
is  where  disease  begins.  It  is  not 
strange,  then,  that  we  should  study 
the  hair  with  great  care.  If  we  were 
asked  the  question,  *'  What  part  of 
the  hair  does  your  Renewer  most 
affect?1'  we  would  quickly  answer, 

"  THE)   HAIR   BULB." 

It  goes  to  the  very  seat  of  trouble, 
and  corrects  diseased  conditions.  It 
stimulates  the  parts  to  healthy  action. 
It  restores  activities  long  at  rest.  In 
a  word,  our  Renewer  makes  this  hair 
bulb  do  precisely  the  work  nature 
intended  it  to  do. 

The  illustration  shows  a  minute 
blood-vessel  entering  and  leaving  a 
hair  bulb.  Hall's  Hair  Renewer  in 
creases  the  circulation  of  the  blood 
in  these  minute  vessels,  and  new  life 
and  vitality  enter  each  hair.  New 
hair  is  formed  again,  by  arousing  the  tering'  aiid 
sleeping  powers,  and  the  bald  scalp  i 
takes  on  a  new  growth  of  hair.  There  are  a  hundred 
things,  any  one  of  which  will  retard  or  destroy  the 
activity  of  these  bulbs.  The  principal  reason,  how 
ever,  why  they  cease  to  form  good  hair  is  want  of 
proper  nourishment.  How  can  a  child  grow  if  it  is 
not  properly  fed  ?  How  can  a  plant  prosper  if  it  does 
not  have  water  ?  And,  in  the  same  sense,  how  can 
hair  be  formed  and  grow  unless  it  has  food  ?  Hall's 
Vegetable  Sicilian  Hair  Renewer  contains  just  the 
vegetable  remedies  needed  by  the  bulb  for  the  forma 
tion  of  the  hair  and  for  its  continued  life  and  vigor. 
When  these  are  supplied  the  hair  must  grow;  it 
must  prosper.  It  cannot  help  doing  so  any  more 
than  a  properly  fed,  healthy  child  can  keep  from 
growing. 

If  there  is  any  life  remaining  in  the  bulb,  hair  must 


be  formed  wlien  our  Renewer  is  used.  But  If  all  life 
is  gone,  then,  of  course,  there  is  no  hope,  Often, 
however,  there  is  a  little  spark  of  vitality  left,  which 
will  kindle  into  full  life  under  this  treatment.  A 
flower  may  wither  and  appear  quite  dead,  and  yet 
come  into  life  again,  when  properly  cared  for.  Hence 
no  case  of  baldness  need  be  so  bad  that  a  trial  should 
not  be  made  of  our  Renewer. 

SOFT  FUZZY  HAIR.  In  keeping  with  these  facts,  is  it 
possible  to  cause  a  good  healthy  growth  of  hair  in  the 
place  of  soft  fuzzy  hair  ?  Most  certainly.  This  kind 
of  hair  shows  that  the  hair  bulb  is  not  properly  fed. 
There  is  enough  life  and  food  to  form  a  small  and  fine 
hair,  but  not  enough  for  a  full,  natural  hair.  Our  Re- 
newer  supplies  the  deficiency  and  nature  does  the  rest, 

BALDNESS.  How  utterly  foolish,  then,  for  any  one  to 
say  that  "  baldness  cannot  be  cured."  Just  as  reason 
able  to  say  that  water  will  not  quench  thirst,  or  that 
fire  will  not  burn  !  Make  the  conditions  correct  and 
the  result  must  come.  No  single  fact  is  better  estab 
lished  than  that  our  Renewer  will  cure  baldness.  We 
have  freely  given  you  the  scientific  reasons  for  this ; 
and  we  have  thousands  of  testimonials  to  prove  that 
we  are  correct, 

Mrs.  G.  A.  Matthews,  of  Weatherford,  Texas,  gives 
us  the  following  strong  testimonial : 

"As  a  testimonial  to  your  Hall's  Sicilian  Hair  Renewer,  I 
want -to  say,  when  I  was  about  22  years  old  I  lost  my  hair  en 
tirely  ;  I  had  the  best  medical  treatment  at  home,  and  consulted 
physicians  personally  in  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  and 
Fort  Worth  with  no  success.  By  accident  I  got  some  of  your 
medicine,  and  before  I  had  used  two  bottles  my  hair  began  to 
grow,  which  now  hangs  below  my  waist,  and  is  soft  and  healthy. 
My  misfortune  was  so  well  known  in  Missouri,  California,  and 
Texas  that,  when  it  became  knownymy  hair  had  grown  out  after 
twelve  years,  my  husband  had  numerous  letters  of  inquiry  want 
ing  his  receipt  and  offering  to  pay  largely  for  it.  We  simply 
replied  to  all,  *  Hall's  Vegetable  Sicilian  Hair  Renewer  did  the 
work,'  and  I  know  of  no  case  that  it  has  failed  to  give  the  best 
results.  You  may  use  such  parts  of  this  as  suits  you  best" 

Solon  S.  Good,  of  the  "Enquirer,"  Cincinnati,  (X, 
wrote  us,  May  25,  1897: 

"Many  years  ago,  the  writer,  who  had  lost  almost  all  his  hair, 
had  restored  to  him  a  luxuriant  growth  of  hair  by  the  use  of 
*  Hall's  Vegetable  Sicilian  Hair  Reuewer.' " 


A.  A.  Harper,  florist,  of  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.,  wrote  as 

follows,  March  31,  1896: 

"Some  time  since  I  had  a  hard  case  of  fever  and  was  sick  for 
seven  weeks.  When  I  began  to  mend  my  hair  came  out  and  left 
me  entirely  bald.  I  used  one  bottle  of  Hall's  Hair  Renewer  and 
my  hair  came  back  as  thick  as  ever.  I  consider  Hall's  Hair 
Renewer  the  finest  of  hair  preparations." 

Mr.  Kesling,  an  aged  farmer,  near  Warsaw,  Ind.,  had  scarcely 
any  hair,  what  little  remained  being  nearly  white.  ^  One  bottle 
of  Hall's  Hair  Renewer  produced  a  thick  and  luxuriant  growth 
of  hair,  as  brown  and  fresh  as  he  had  in  youth.  The  case  is  well 
known  and  attracted  much  attention. 

FALLING  OF  THE  HAEB.  This  is  no  more  than  beginning 
baldness.  It  may  cease  before  all  the  hair  falls  out 
or  continue  until  complete  baldness  results.  While 
there  are  many  causes  of  this  difficulty,  yet,  so  far  as 
we  know,  there  is  but  one  cure,  Hall's  Sicilian  Hair 
Renewer.  Its  prompt  use  will  check  the  hair  from 
coming  out,  and  you  do  not  have  to  continue  the 
remedy  long. 

It  is  important  that  you  should  not  neglect  this 
symptom,  or  soon  the  hair  bulbs  will  become  dis 
eased.  Taken  in  time,  it  is  easily  cured,  but  if 
neglected  the  cure  is  not  so  prompt.  One  bottle  ot 
our  Renewer  at  first  will  save  the  use  of  many  bottles 
later  on.  No  one  need  feel  badly  over  this  falling  of 
the  hair  if  within  reach  of  our  Renewer,  as  the  cure 
is  prompt  and  permanent. 

Mrs.  Katie  McNamara,  of  Corsicana,  Texas,  writes: 

"I  wish  to  assure  you  that  your  Renewer  is  worth  its  weight 
in  gold  to  me.  My  hair  was  falling  out  so  badly,  and  I  had 
tried  so  many  different  things,  but  without  avail.  I  will  now 
never  tire  in  praising  its  merits." 

Mrs.  A.  T.  Wall,  of  Greenfield,  Cheshire,  England, 
writes : 

"I  have  derived  the  greatest  benefit  from  the  use  of  Hall's 
Hair  Renewer.  It  stimulated  my  scalp  when  the  hair  was  fall 
ing  and  produced  new  and  vigorous  growth." 

Mrs.  Hunsberry,  344  Franklin  Avenue,  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  writes: 

"After  a  severe  attack  of  erysipelas  in  the  head,  I  lost  my 
hair  —  already  gray  —  so  rapidly  that  I  soon  became  quite  bald. 
One  bottle  of  Hall's  Vegetable  Sicilian  Hair  Renewer  produced 
a  new  growth  of  hair,  as  soft,  brown,  and  thick  as  when  I  was  a 
girl." 


W.  C.  Hauser,  of  the  firm  of  Wm.  C.  &  J.  G. 

Hauser,  dealers  in  drugs,  medicines,  etc.,  Wadley, 
Ga.,  writes  us  Nov.  27,  1896,  as  follows: 

"  I  have  used  your  Hair  Renewer  for  the  purpose  of  stopping 
y  hair  from  falling  out  and  can  state  that  I  found  it  to  be  THB 


my 

thing  needed.  About  one  year  ago  my  hair  began  to  fall  out 
very  badly.  Having  some  of  your  Renewer  in  stock,  I  used  a 
bottle,  and  since  then  have  had  no  trouble  on  that  line.  I  find, 
too,  that  your  Renewer  restores  the  hair  to  its  natural  color." 

TO  BESTORE  COLOfi.  A  word  concerning  the  reason 
why  our  Renewer  changes  the  color  of  the  hair  to  its 
natural  appearance.  The  color  of  the  hair  is  deter 
mined  while  it  is  yet  in  the  skin.  When  the  blood 
supply  is  wrong  or  the  nerve  action  deficient,  then 
no  coloring  matter  will  be  furnished,  and  the  hair 
turns  gray  or  white.  When  the  hair  is  first  beginning 
to  turn  it  imparts  a  most  lifeless  and  altogether  dis 
agreeable  expression  to  the  whole  countenance, 

Hall's  Sicilian  Hair  Renewer  goes  to  the  root  of 
the  evil.  I?  FEEDS  THE  HAIR  BULBS,  INCREASES  THE 
BLOOD  SUPPLY,  and  it  stimulates  nerve  action.  The 
coloring  matter  is  deposited,  and  the  color  of  youth 
again  appears  in  the  hair.  All  this  is  thus  easily 
understood  when  the  explanation  is  given.  We  have 
a  vast  number  of  testimonials  on  this  point.  We  can 
only  give  a  few  of  them  here. 

Alfred  Speer,  of  Passaic,  N.fJ.,"says: 

"I  am  now  68  years  old,  and  have  used  your  Renewer  for  25 
years  with  perfect  success  in  keeping  the  hair  natural  in  color, 
even  when,  fifteen  years  ago,  my  beard  turned  gray  and  of  late 
years  turned  white  by  long  neglecting  to  use  the  Renewer. 
upon  re-using  it  daily  for  only  a  week,  the  white  color  was  dis 
pelled  and  the  natural  brown  brought  back." 

William  Kale,  of  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  writes  as 
follows  : 

"I  have  been  using  your  Hair  Renewer  for  about  two  weeks, 
and  will  say  that  it  has  done  me  more  good  than  anything  I  have 
ever  tried  before.  It  has  restored  the  white  and  gray  hair  to  its 
natural  color,  and  I  think  has  already  started  the  new  hair  to 
grow." 


whose  hair  had  become  prematurely  gray,  applied  our  Renewer 


Randolph  W0   Farley,   Nashua,   N.  H  ,  quite  a  young  man, 

ir  had  become  p 

with  perfect  success,     His  hair  is  now  a  beautiful  brown, 
he  reports  the  effects  from  the  use  of  this  preparation  as  truly 
marvelous. 


DANDBUFT.  Hall's  Hair  Renewer  removes  all  dan- 
druff  and  so  treats  the  scalp  that  its  formation  is  pre« 
vented.  In  time  a  positive  cure  is  effected,  and  the  Re- 
newer  need  not  longer  be  used.  Without  doubt  there 
js  no  other  remedy  in  the  whole-world  so  effectual  as 
this  Renewer  in  the  treatment  and  permanent  cure  of 
dandruff.  As  dandruff  is  not  only  a  sign  of  a  diseased 
scalp,  but  also  a  forerunner  of  baldness,  so  the  impor 
tance  of  treating  it  is  at  once  evident.  We  offer  you  a 
positive  cure  for  it,  and  verify  our  statement  with  a 
few  testimonials  to  that  effect,  although  we  might 
duplicate  these  a  thousand  times. 

R.  M.  Tucker,  M.D.,  of  Helena,  Ala.,  writes  us  the 
following : 

"I  have  used  Hall's  Hair  Renewer  for  the  last  thirty-five 
years  and  I  know  it  will  do  all  that  it  is  recommended  to  do 
lt  will  restore  the  color,  CURE  DANDRUFF,  and  prevent  the  hair 
frotn  falling  out.  I  believe  I  would  today  be  bald-headed  and 
gray  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  use  of  Hall's  Hair  Renewer.  It 
will  certainly  restore  the  color  and  I  don't  hesitate  to  recom 
mend  it." 

A  letter  from  J.  A.  Kelley,  of  Antoine,  Ark.,  April 
18,  1896,  says: 

"My  hair  began  falling  out  very  fast,  and  I  believe  I  would 
have  been  perfectly  bald,  but  I  used  two  bottles  of  Hall's  Hair 
Renewer,  and  it  not  only  checked  the  falling  out,  but  thickened 
the  growth  and  CLEANSED  THE  SCAUP  OF  DANDRUFF.  ^  This  was 
four  years  since,  and  I  now  have  a  good  head  of  hair*  I  can 
cordially  recommend  it  as  a  first-class  hair  dressing." 

In  May,  1897,  we  received  a  letter  from  J.  M.  Ran 
dolph,  of  Brookfield,  Mo.  The  writer  says: 

"I  have  been  using  your  Hair  Renewer  for  several  months 

and  find  it  ONE  OF  TUB  BEST  CURES  FOR  DANDRUFF  IN  EXIST 
ENCE,  and  have  caused  a  number  of  persons  to  try  it.'* 

DOES  NOT  STAIN.  One  desirable  feature  of  our  Re- 
newer  is  that  it  does  not  discolor  the  skin,  as  so  many 
preparations  do.  It  would  not  make  the  permanent 
cures  that  it  daily  performs  were  this  true.  The  skin 
is  kept  in  its  natural  condition,  and  not  in  the  slight 
est  decree  colored. 


IS  IT  SAFE? 


No  one  should  think  for  a  moment  of  using  any 
preparation  on  the  hair  without  having  a  sufficient 
guarantee  that  it  is  free  from  all  caustic  properties, 
protected  from  acid  production,  and  composed  of  only 
the  purest  and  best  of  materials. 

A  few  years  ago  we  had  our  preparation  examined 
by  the  highest  authority  obtainable,  and  we  give  be 
low  the  result.  During  all  these  years  our  formula 
has  been  unchanged ;  hence  this  analysis  is  as  good 
today  as  when  it  was  first  issued. 


Vegetable 


STATEASSAYER'S 


"HAT  T ' 

20  STATE  STREET,    * 
BOSTON, 

A.  A.  HAYES,  M.T>. 
8.  DAUA  HATES. 


Hair  Rsnewcr 


We  have  made  a  chemical  analysts  of  this  preparation, 
obtained  from  different  sources,  and  have  determined  the 
preterites  of  the  substances  employed. 

^The  constituents  are  pure,  and  carefully  selected  for  excel* 
lent  quality;  and  the  combination  of  them  has  been  skilfully 
effected  so  as  to  form  an  efficient  preparation  adapted  to 
cleansing  the  skin  of  the  head  and  promoting  the  growth  of 
tfie  hair,  restoring  the  original  color  when  it  has  become 
gray.  Being  deprived  of  a  II  caustic  qualities,  and  protected 
from  subsequent  acid  production,  it  is  a  mild,  oil-like  fluid, 
which,  while  it  retains  the  bair  and  skin  moist,  will  beat 
eruptions  and  promote  bealtby  excretions  from  the  scalp. 

We  rega*a  this  as  the  best  preparation  for  the  Intended 
purposes  which  has  been  submitted  for  examination. 

A.  A.  HAYES,  M.D.,  State  Assayer. 
S.  DANA  HAYES,  Chemtst. 


Buckingham  s  Dye 

Por  the  WhisKers. 


A  dye  has  no  effect  whatever  on  the  bulb  or  on  the 
root  of  the  hair.  It  simply  stains  the  hair  shaft.  It 
has  no  power  to  check  falling  hair  or  to  make  new 
hair  appear.  It  is  simply  and  solely  a  dye.  The  main 
questions  to  be  decided  about  a  dye  are  to  procure 
one  that  is  convenient  for  use,  that  will  give  uniform 
ity  of  color,  will  not  rub  or  wash  off,  is  clean,  per 
fectly  safe  and  harmless. 

For  the  whiskers,  mustache,  and  eyebrows  there 
is  nothing  equal  to  Buckingham's  Dye.  It  is  easily 
applied  and  within  a  few  hours  will  produce  either  a 
beautiful  brown  or  a  rich  black,  whichever- is  pre 
ferred,  by  following  the  directions. 

Our  dye  does  not  give  that  dead  black  color  which 
shows  across  the  room  that  it  is  artificial.  It  does 
produce,  however,  a  natural,  even  color  that  defies 
detection.  And  then  it  is  not  black  or  brown  today, 
and  a  miserable  color  the  next.  When  dyed  once  it 
is  dyed  to  stay.  It  is  necessary  to  occasionally  use  it 
thereafter  for  the  new  growth  of  hair.  Two  or  three 
bottles  at  most  will  keep  the  beard  and  mustache 
colored  for  a  year.  Hence  it  is  the  most  economical 
preparation  on  the  market. 

We  do  not  recommend  this  dye  for  the  hair  of  the 
head.  It  does  not  go  to  the  seat  of  the  trouble  and 
cure  it,  as  does  our  Vegetable  Sicilian  Hair  Renewer. 
But  there  are  many  men  who  are  not  satisfied,  and 
most  justly  so,  in  having  a  beautiful  head  of  hair 
from  the  use  of  our  Vegetable  Sicilian  Hair  Renewer, 
with  a  most  distressing  show  of  beard  and  mustache. 
These  may  just  as  well  be  colored  with  Bucking 
ham's  Dye  as  not,  and  no  one  be  the  wiser.  Then, 
again,  often  the  beard  begins  to  show  the  color  of  age 
long  before  the  hair  does.  Here  this  Dye  naturally 
comes  in  and  dispels  the  telltale  story  of  years. 


SLEEPLESSNESS 

HOW  TO  CURE  iT. 

In  the  first  place  don't  use  opiates  or  sedatives  ex 
cept  when  absolutely  necessary.  They  do  not  reach 
the  cause  of  the  trouble.  It  is  easy  for  those  using 
them  to  acquire  the  deadly  drug  habit  whjch  results 
in  human  slavery. 

To  cure  yourself  of  sleeplessness,  find  out  the 
CAUSE  of  your  wakefulness.  If  you  have  been  over 
taxing  your  nervous  syste'm  in  an  unreasonable  way, 
quit  the  practice  at  once.  Take  as  much  outdoor  ex 
ercise  as  you  can,  especially  if  your  occupation  is 
sedentary.  If  you  haven't  time  or  opportunity  for 
this,  exercise  for  a  few  moments  night  and  morning 
in  your  bedroom.  Use  judgment  about  what  you  eat 
and  how  much  you  eat.  Look  carefully  after  your 
digestion.  If  your  food  isn't  properly  digested  how 
can  you  expect  your  body  to  be  healthy?  Poor  diges 
tion  means  a  lack  of  bodily  nourishment  and  conse 
quent  weakness.  Ripans  Tabules  help  the  stomach 
to  thoroughly  digest  the  food  and  assimilate  the  good 
it  contains.  They  cleanse  and  enrich  the  blood  and 
make  it  move  quickly.  They  make  the  bodily  tissues 
firm  and  strong.  They  make  anybody  eat  well,  sleep 
well,  work  well,  think  well.  With  a  good  digestion 
there  is  little  trouble  in  sleeping.  \ 

R-I-P-A-N-S 


10  for  5  cents. 


At  all  Drug  Stores. 


WANTED:— A  ease  of  had  health  that  R-I-P-A-N-S  will  not  benefit.  They 
banish  pain  and  prolong  life..  One  gives  relief.  Note  the  word  R-I-P-A-N-S 
on  the  package  and  accept  no  substitute.  R-I-P-A-N-S,  10  for  5  cents,  may 
be  had  at  any  drug  stoiv.  Ten  samples  nnd  one  thousand  testimonials  will 
be  mailed  to  any  address  for  5  cents,  forwarded  to  the  Ripans  Chemical  Co., 
No.  10  .Spruce  St.,  New  York. 


REV.  CHAS.  M.  SHELDON'S 
WORKS    «**»*>    *****>   «***> 


In  His  Steps  :  What  Would  Jesus  Do  } 

Robert  Hardy's  Seven  Days 
The  Crucifixion  of  Philip  Strong 

In  uniform  binding  in  fine  cloth,  printed 
on  a  superior  quality  of  laid  paper,  illus 
trated,  and  embellished  with  gold  top* 

PRICE,  50  CENTS  EACH 


O  writer  of  the  present  century  ha-  achieved 
such  a  remarkable  success  as  the  Rev*  Chas* 
M.  Sheldon*  Millions  of  copies  of  In  His 
Steps  have  been  sold  in  England,  and  other 
millions  in  America.  His  other  works  are, 
if  anything,  more  powerful  than  In  His 
Steps,  each  dealing  with  a  special  subject  in  its  relations 
to  the  life  of  a  consistent  Christian.  While  many  will  feel 
that  they  cannot  rise  to  the  moral  height  of  doing  what 
Jesus  would  do  in  every  instance,  there  is  no  doubt  that  a 
faithful  effort  to  follow  in  the  Christian  precepts  laid  down 
in  Mr.  Sheldon's  works  would  result  in  the  making  of  a 
far  better  world  for  humanity.  These  books  are  entirely 
free  from  sectarianism,  and  will  prove  equally  acceptable 
to  all  Christians,  whether  of  the  Baptist,  Methodist,  Epis 
copalian,  Congregational,  Presbyterian,  Lutheran  or  other 
denomination.  Just  the  books  to  put  into  the  hands  of 
young  people.  They  are  strong  and  vigorous  works, 
which  have  the  attractive  qualities  of  first-class  novels* 
coupled  with  the  best  of  religious  teaching. 

cA  cheaper  edition,  in  paper,  if  published 
by  tts  at  10  cents     ******** 

STREET'  &    SMITH,   238   WILLIAM   STREET 

4C  . 


Advice  to  People  Who 
Have  Weak  Hearts. 

The  following  letter  and  reply  is  an  extract  from  the  editorial  page  of  the  New 
York  Evening  journal  of  December  28,  1899: 

"I  have  an  ailment  of  the  heart— i.  e.,  it  beats  heavily  after 
every  meal,  no  matter  how  light  a  meal,  thereby  causing  much 
worry  and  expense.  I  have  been  to  eight  doctors,  who  all  say 
'it  is  simply  a  functional  disorder  of  the  stomach.'  Still  they 
cannot  give  me  any  relief  with  their  medicines.  Please  do  not 
advise  me  to  row,  box,  swim,  or  exercise  in  any  form,  as  the 
least  exercise  will  set  my  heart  abeating  hard,  heavily  and  rap 
idly.  I  am  anxiously  awaiting  your  advice." 

"We  think  we  can  give  this  man  with  his  weak  heart 
some  good  advice.  First,  let  him  rest  absolutely,  lying 
down  for  at  least  thirty  minutes  before  he  eats  any 
thing,  and  let  him  rest — but  NOT  go  to  sleep — another 
half  hour  after  eating.  Let  him  try  eating  about  50 
per  cent,  of  the  amount  which  he  eats  now — even  less, 
if  possible.  Let  him  take  NO  solids  for  breakfast.  Let 
him,  above  all,  eat  very  slowly,  chewing  every  mouth 
ful  at  least  twenty  times — as  did  Gladstone — and  swal 
lowing  nothing  without  first  reducing  it  to  almost  im 
palpable  pulp,  no  matter  how  long  that  may  take." 

' '  Good  advice,  every  word  of  it.  In  addition  to 
the  above,  the  man  should  take  a  Ripaus  Tabule 
after  each  meal.  It  will  benefit  him.  It  will 
benefit  anybody  having  a  like  trouble.  ScJme 
people  think  they  have  heart  trouble  when  it  is 
really  only  a  digestive  disarrangement.  A  Ripans 
Tabule,  taken  after  eating,  materially  aids  diges 
tion,  drives  away  that  full  feeling,  puts  the  stom 
ach  in  prime  condition,  stimulates  the  action  of 
the  liver,  and  relieves  the  depressed  and  suffo 
cating  sensation  in  the  chest  and  around  the 
heart.  There  are  thousands  of  people  in  all  parts 
of  the  country  who  stoutly  attest  that  Ripans 
benefit  them  in  many  other  ways  also.  They 
banish  pain  and  prolong  life.  One  gives  relief. 

1O  for  5  cents,  at  all  druggists. 


IN  HIS  STEPS: 

WHAT  WOULD  JESUS  DO? 


BY 

Rev. 

Chas.M. 

Sheldon 


Get  our  complete 
and  accurate 
edition  No.  1 

Alliance   Library. 


FOR  SALE 
BY  ALL 
NEWS- 

DEALERS 


Street  &  Smith 

Publishers 

238  WILLIAM  ST. 
NEW  YORK 


C I  HIS  book  has  met  with 
the  most  phenomenal 
sale  of  any  work  produced 
in  the  English  language 
in  many  years.  Millions 
havereadthework.  It  has 
set  the  whole  world  talk 
ing.  Everybody  should 
read  it  as  a  matter  of 
curiosity  at  least  if  for 
no  better  reason.  %  fc  fc  i  i 

It  remained  for  Street  & 
Smith  to  offer  this  great 
book  to  the  public  at  the 

Correct  Modern 
Price— Ten  Cents 


Those  who  are  compelled  by  occupation  to  lead  a  sedentary  life  find 
Ripans  Tabules  a  reliable  cure  for  digestive  ills.  A  Brooklyn  (N.  Y.)  sten 
ographer  says  .  "For  years  I  have  suffered  with  what  I  suppose  to  be  dys 
pepsia,  and  what  has  always  been  called  so  by  physicians  who  have  treated 
me.  It  is  peculiar,  inasmuch  as  it  comes  on  periodically  every  year  about 
October  and  lasts  for  two  or  three  months  in  spite  of  all  the  medicines  I 
take,  and  then  goes  away,  apparently  having  worn  itself  out.  The  symp 
toms  are  a  sense  of  distress  and  heaviness  in  the  chest,  amounting  to  agony 
at  times,  and  while  not  exactly  a  pain  is  more  distressing  even  than  pain,  aa 
all  the  time  I  suffer  my  spirits  become  depressed  and  my  appetite  is  poor  or 
capricious,  and  even  when  I  feel  like  eating  the  dread  of  the  agony  It  will 
cause  me  keeps  from  it.  During  the  spells  I  usually  suffer  also  from  con 
stipation  and  flatulence.  This  year  the  attack  came  on  earlier  than  usual 
Cabout  the  middle  of  July),  and  feeling  that  I  could  not  stand  the  combina 
tion  of  heat  and  dyspepsia  I  looked  around  for  something  that  might  relieve 
me.  A  copy  of  your  book  on  Ripans  Tabules  happening  to  be  left  in  my 
office,  I  thought  I  would  try  them,  and  after  taking  two-five  cent  boxes  I 
found  my  symptoms  relieved,  and  while  I  still  suffer  somewhat  at  times,  the 
distress  is  neither  so  constant  nor  so  acute,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  in  a 
few  days  I  shall  have  entirely  recovered,  and  this  after  having  been  treated 
toy  several  doctors  and  taking  quarts  of  nauseous  mixtures  that  brought  no 
relief.  I  find  the  *  tabule '  form  of  medicine  much  more  agreeable  to  take 
than  liquid,  and  can  heartily  recommend  Ripans  Tabules  to  any  who  have 
been  troubled  with  symptoms  like  those  above  described.  This  testimonial 
is  entirely  unsolicited,  and  you  can  use  it  for  publication  if  you  so  desire. 
My  trouble  is  doubtless  aggravated  by  the  sedentary  life  I  am  compelled 
to  lead." 

\1/ ANTED :— A  case  of  bad  health  that  R-1-P-A-N-S  will  not  benefit.    They  banish  pain  and  pro. 
"v      long  life.    One  gives  relief.     Note  the  word  R-I-P-A-N-S  on  the  package  and  accept  no  sub 


stitute.  R-I-P-A-N-S,  ic  for  5  cents,  may  be  had  at  any  drug  store.  Ten  samp 
testimonials  will  be  mailed  to  any  address  for  5  cents,  forwarded  to  the  Ripans 
Spruce  St.,  New  York. 


>les  and  one  thousand 
al  Co.,  No.  10 


Chemical 


One  of  the  Great  Booh  of  the 
Century 

*********  JL/JL  JL    1  JL/H/ 

MINISTER 

BY  J.  M.  BARRIE  ' 

[HERE  have  been  so  many  copies  of  this 
book  already  sold  that  it  does  almost  seem 
as  if  everybody  was  supplied,  but  still  the 
demand  continues.  Its  dramatization  and  produc 
tion  in  our  principal  theatres  has  added  greatly  to 
its  popularity.  Not  to  have  read  this  work  is  to  be 
not  properly  in  touch  with  the  literature  of  the  day. 

STREET  &  SMITH'S 

COPYRIGHT  EDITION,  AT  THE  RIGHT 
PRICE,TEN  CENTS  (No.  96,  Eagle  Library)  is 
printed  from  new  plates,  and  is  just  as  good  as  editions 
retailing  at  a  higher  price.  &  There  is  also  a  hand 
some  Street  &  Smith  edition  in  cloth  binding,  at  foe. 

FOR  SALE  BY  ALL  NEWSDEALERS,  OR  S^NT  BY  MAIL, 
POSTPAID,  BY  THE  PUBLISHERS 

STREET  &  SMITH,  Publishers,  New  York 

\     GU 


MRS.  WINSLOW'S 

Soothing 
Syrup 


FOR  CHILDREN 
TEETHING. 


Greatly  facilitates  the  process  of  teething  by  soften 
ing  the  gums  and  reducing  all  inflammation.  Will 
allay  all  paan  ana  spasmodic  action^  and  is 

Sure  to  Regulate  the  Bowels. 

Depend  upon  It,  mothers.  It  will  give  rest  to  yourselves  and 

Relief  anil  Health  to  your  Infants* 

We  have  pui.  up  and  sold  this  article  for  over  sixty  years,  and  can  say  in  confi 
dence  and  truth  of  it  what  we  have  never  been  able  to  say  of  any  other  medi 
cine  :  never  has  it  failed  in  a  single  instance  to  effect  a  cure  when  timely  used, 
Never  did  we  know  an  instance  of  dissatisfaction  by  any  one  who  used  ft.  On 
the  contrary,  all  are  delighted  with  Its  operations,  and  speak  in  terms  of  high 
est  commendation  of  its  magical  effects  and  msdic&l  yirtu&s.  We 
speak  in  this  matter  "  what  we  do  know  "  fter  years  of  experience,  and  pledge 
our  reputation  for  the  fulfillment  of  what  we  here  declare.  In  almost  every  in 
stance,  where  the  Infant  is  suffering  from  pain  and  exhaustion,  relief  will  be 
found  in  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  after  the  syrup  is  administered. 

This  valuable  preparation  has  been  used  with  rtsvcr  -  falling 
success  In  thousands  of  cases*  It  not  only  relieves  the  ch.id 
from  pain,  but 

Invigorates  the  Stomach  and  Bowels* 

MRS.  WINSLOW'S  SOOTHING  SYRUP  corrects  acidity  and  gives 
tone  and  energy  to  the  whole  system.  It  will  almost  instantly  relieve  griping 
in  the  bowels  and  wind  colic.  We  believe  it  the  best  and  surest 
remedy  in  the  world  in  ail  cases  of 

Diarrhoea  in  GhHe/rcn, 

whether  arising  from  teething  or  any  other  cause. 

We  would  say  to  every  mother  who  has  a  child  suffering  from  any  of  the 
foregoing  complaints,  do  not  let  your  prejudices,  nor  the  prejudices  of  others, 
stand  between  your  suffering  child  and  the  relief  that  will  be  sure  —  yes,  abso 
lutely  sure  —  to  follow  the  use  of  this  medicine  if  timely  used.  Full  directions 
for  using  wili  accompany  each  bottle.  TWENTY-FIVE  CENTS  A  BOTTLE, 


genuine  unless  the  fac-sfmita  of  CURTIS  A 
PERKINS,  New  York?  is  on  She  outside  wrappers  Sold 
by  Druggists  throughout  the  world. 


wi!I  flnd  M*S-  WINSLOW'S  SOOTH. 
ING  SYRUP  the  Best  Remedy  to  use 
for  their  children  during  tho  Toothing  period. 


Messrs.  STREET  &  SMITH 

desire  to  announce  to  the  public  that  they  have  purchased 
the  most  valuable  portion  of  the  noted  collection  of  book 
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and  standards,  covering  a  varied  selection  of  the  best  efforts 
of  nearly  all  the  noted  novelists,  both  English  and  American. 
•They  have  also  purchased,  at  a  recent  date,  the 
majority  of  titles  included  in  the  Cassel  Publishing  Com 
pany's  list.  These  two  large  and  valuable  collections  of 
titles  will  be  gradually  added  to  their  already  extensive 
and  popular  catalogue  list.  They  will  also  continue,  as 
heretofore,  to  issue  the  very  latest  and  most  popular  works 
of  the  most  successful  writers  of  the  day,  in  rapid  succes 
sion. 

These  enormous  additions  to  their  list  of  plates  give 
them  the  largest  and  best  assortment  of  titles  to  be  found 
in  the  English-speaking  world,  and  the  added  fact  may 
be  noted  that  they  have  the  largest  and  most  completely 
equipped  book -making  plant  in  America. 

Under  these  conditions,  the  trade  and  the  public  may 
rest  assured  that  the  STREET  &  SMITH  lines  will  continue 
to  be  at  all  times  the  leaders. 

The  large  aquisitions  noted  above  will  enable  them  to 
offer  to  the  public  at  popular  prices  very  many  valuable 
works  of  fiction ,  which  have  heretofore  been  offered  only 
in  high-priced  editions. 

Look  at  their  Catalogues  of  the  right  books  at  the  right 
price  (10  cents),  generally  to  be  found  in  the  last  pages  of 
their  books. 

Free  complete  Catalogue  on  application. 


STREET  &  SMITH 

238  William  Street  NEW  YORK 

084 


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nothing  but  Ainslee's  you  cannot  fall 
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